


° • '*𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮, 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩*' • °

by robinleafs



Series: Pete Valley Diaries [1]
Category: Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Chris has never been at a party, Chris is a bookworm, Chris is just really shy and cute, Christmas Period, Daniel and Chris fall in love in high-school, Daniel is a smoker, Daniel is bad at words, Daniel is one of the popular guys, Daniel is part of the football team, Daniel wants to confess but is awkward af, Eventual Romance, Evil Plans, Fluff and Humor, Good and Evil, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Multi, Original Universe, Plot Twists, Superheroes, Supervillains, There´s a cool villain, unexpected ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:27:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 85,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28657200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robinleafs/pseuds/robinleafs
Summary: '*°• A group of idiot friends. A guy with superpowers that he ought to hide. A closeted gay. A bully with bloodlust and a knife. Today's the annual Christmas Football match, and the after-party isn't going to be any less of a blast.𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕠𝕡𝕤𝕚𝕤: Everyone seems eager for the football match tonight, but Chris just wants some time alone to mend his distant relationship with Daniel, who stings of popularity and secrets. After many years of friendship, Chris feels dumped for the Penny Badges Football Team that includes the pack of friends with different stories, struggles and pairings that you probably never asked for. When a mysterious character steps into Chris's life, he soon realizes he's just taken a bus towards his local Boozeland.If that's not enough, a dangerous entity is about to jeopardize it all and it waits for their chance to strike from the depths of Creek Forest.
Relationships: Daniel Diaz & Chris Eriksen, Daniel Diaz/Chris Eriksen
Series: Pete Valley Diaries [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119251
Comments: 39
Kudos: 11





	1. One of us, one of them

**Author's Note:**

  * For [naetles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/naetles/gifts), [PrincessWriter20](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessWriter20/gifts).



I have no idea whatever it is that brought you here to read my story, but I'm always thrilled and happy that someone takes their time to sit down and read one of my stories. If you feel like it. It's motivating and fulfilling for a writer to receive some type of boost, even if it's just a short comment or a reassuring phrase. I'm forever grateful for those.

This is a novel that is based on my personal experiences and relationships, and is practically a mashup cocktail of real stories that I've heard about, seen or experienced first-hand. All of the characters correspond to people I know, and I definitely try not to include stereotypes and cliches.

This story was originally a Life is Strange 2 fanfic that was meant to last 5.000 words, a one-shot about mistletoes and ginger biscuits to kill time in holidays. But after many ideas and drafts, this story somehow came up and after a busy month of writing (and bullying sleep) I wrote this out.

I'm going to try very wholeheartedly to talk about many issues and topics that can happen to kids in high-school, relatable relationships with different dynamics and endings that can hopefully warm your heart. There won't be toxic content or relationships, so feel free to learn how to love yourself and people around you if you choose to read my novel.

This is also dedicated to all of the people that have entered my life and taught me things for good. This book is for you too.

Especially you, who's reading this page wondering if this story will make them feel anything at all. 

Robin xx

 **° • '*** **𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬** **𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮** **,** **𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵** **𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩** ***' • °**

•. "Don't try to be part of the party. _Be_ the party, and it will eventually find you."

______________________________________

_4 years ago_

_Creek, United States_

_12:34am_  
______________________________________

"⌇⟒⋏⎅ ⍜⎐⟒⍀ ⏁⊑⟒ ☊⍜⍜⍀⎅⟟⋏⏃⏁⟒⌇, ⌿⌰⟒⏃⌇⟒ ( _Send over the coordinates, please_ )!" Yelled the purple looking antropomorphic being, who typed something into his keyboard, readjusting his microphone correctly as their plane dashed from left to right, the different colour keys beeping and flashing lights.

The Creek landscape continued to amaze them, melting into soft "ooh's" when they flied over the forest lake with a jolt, sending waves of water to the shore and shaking trees.

Then they went back to their bickering.

The strange mixture of beast and deer before him, named Kloprot, answered in a rude manner. "⟟ ⌇⟒⋏⏁ ⏁⊑⟒⋔ ⍜⎐⟒⍀ ⏁⍜ ⊬⍜⎍ ⟟⋏ ⏃ ⋏⍜⏁⟒, ⎎⎍☊☍⟟⋏☌ ⟟⎅⟟⍜⏁ ( _I sent them over to you in a note, fucking idiot_ )!" He screamed while typing something else before opening the drawer on his right, where the key of their mission was there.

"⍙⟒⌰⌰ ⏁⊑⟒⋏, ⌇⟒⋏⎅ ⏁⊑⟒⋔ ⍜⎐⟒⍀ ⏃☌⏃⟟⋏, ⟟⏁'⌇ ⊬⍜⎍⍀ ⍜⋏⌰⊬ ⟊⍜⏚ ( _Well, then, send them over again, it's your only fucking job_ )!" Olkrop replied in the same rude manner, rolling their eyes before screaming into the microphone the coordinates of the destiny they were headed towards.

"⟟ ⊑⏃⎅ ⏁⊑⟒⋔ ⋏⟒⌖⏁ ⏁⍜ ⋔⊬ ⌇⏃⋏⎅⍙⟟☊⊑ ⏃⋏⎅ ⋏⍜⍙ ⟟⏁'⌇ ☌⍜⋏⟒ ( _I had it next to my sandwich and now it's gone_ )..." Said Kloprot, rummaging through his drawer before taking out the test tube rack that held the laboratory substance that they ought to take towards Big Forest, the wide forest below them. Their map had a blinking red point, where they had to fuel the substance in. _Where their special agent would be waiting for them to accept the tubes_.

"⟟ ⊑⏃⎅ ⏁⊑⟒⋔ ⋏⟒⌖⏁ ⏁⍜ ⋔⊬ ⌇⏃⋏⎅⍙⟟☊⊑ ⏃⋏⎅ ⋏⍜⍙ ⟟⏁'⌇ ☌⍜⋏⟒ ( _This didn't happen when_ _Kalt_ _had the power_ )..." Olkrop complained before typing something else rushedly. Then he found the paper under his shoe, shaking it off completely while his sixth hand got grip of it. Then he brought the paper to his eye level, reading out loud.

Then he suddenly stopped reading.

"⍙⟒'⍀⟒ ⊑⟒⍀⟒ ( _Oh, we're here_ )!" Olkrop exclaimed animatedly, to which Kloprot typed other things in his mirrored screen. "☊⍜⋔⟒ ⍜⋏, ⋔⍜⎐⟒ ⊬⍜⎍⍀ ⏃⌇⌇! ⍀⊑⊬⏁⊑ ⟟⌇ ⍙⏃⟟⏁⟟⋏☌ ⎎⍜⍀ ⎍⌇ ( _Come on, move your ass!_ _Rhyth_ _is waiting for us_ )."

"⍜☍⏃⊬, ⍜☍⏃⊬ ( _Okay, okay_ )!!"

Kloprot pushed himself off the desk before grabbing the test tube rack in his hands, with four tubes full of the shining blue substance, a yellow one, a green and purple one. They were meant to be given to a secret agent waiting for them at the cave of Big Forest, a secretive meeting place where they were sure that no one would find them. Or talk about it.  
They just followed Bretmoth's Government commands, and they had specifically asked to deliver those tubes in maximum discretion.

Rhyth who was waiting for his special diplomatic reunion with Olkrop and Kloprot (habitants of Bretmoth) waited patiently in front of the cave in the depths of Big Forest, a remote location in middle of Creek, an earthling place that didn't sting of pollution and humans. He then exhaled with a calm expression and checked the clock on their wrist.

Silence.

Kloprot fought to keep their balance inside the shaking ship, the wind blowing against their hair and the metallic floor now buzzing under their feet as they put on their job suit, equipping himself with technology gear to communicate with Olkrop in. He placed the test tube rack over a railing close to the door, making his companion turn their head to that direction and telling them to be careful with the tubes. Then they added a helmet to their head and opened the heavy ship door, about to unfold the stair gear when he did it.

 _Whoosh_.

He was about to attach the microphone to their suit when their elbow had pushed something off the railing, and into the air. _Whoosh_ , just like that. Easy and simple. The substance that had taken months to create and two years to test, and many citizens to approve, were now pushed into the wide atmosphere, away from Kloprot's grip.

 _Away_. He had fucking thrown the substance _away_.

Olkrop was busy typing like a maniac when they cocked their head in his direction twice, when they saw the look on his companion's face.

"⍙⊑⏃⏁ ( _What_ )?" He yelled frantically.

Silence. Kloprot's heart throbbed inside his chest, knowing very well he was about to loose his job, family and prestige that his ten years career had given him.

He had lost it all in just one second.

"⍜☍⏃⊬, ⟒⍀, ⊬⍜⎍'⍀⟒ ☌⍜⟟⋏☌ ⏁⍜ ⌰⏃⎍☌⊑ (Okay, er, you're going to laugh)." He tripped over his voice, making Olkrop widen their eyes like plates when they realized that the railing was empty.

Fucking. Clear. 

_Empty_. That word rottened Olkrop's brain twenty times, and made their face go bright purple, drowning in complete and utter anger.

_Big Forest Lake, Creek_

_in the meanwhile_

_12:45am_

Chris kept munching on their ham sandwich with sedation while Daniel swung their legs off the heavy branch they had sat on. They both held their backpacks on their shoulders, after opening them to get out water and their snack. _It was nice to sit down for a while_. The brown-haired one proceeded to exhale heavily while they stared out towards the lake, where their school teachers had promised to take them towards for a day trip. It was boring to go to school all day and do nothing other than math quizzes and study the boring layers of the earth. Besides, there wasn't much fun stuff to do at school when you were a sixth grader. The only fun subjects were sports and... Well. _Sports_.

Chris wasn't like that, though. Daniel stated over at him before blinking curiously; his blonde friend was super-smart and always finished all of his homework early. It was fun. _He_ was fun. He drew super cool stuff about comics and superheroes, like his mom did... _When she lived._

The blonde-haired boy with blue eyes started towards the ground, where many pebbles laid below him waiting to be picked and thrown towards the water, like grown-ups did to make them jump several times over the surface. Then he blinked, staring over at Daniel who smiled at him.

"Dan?" He asked with his squeaky voice.

"Yes?" Daniel replied, turning all of his attention towards his friend. He took a bite off his sandwich, while the wind whipped his straight hair.

"Can you teach me the pebble throwing thing? Over the water?" He asked, aiming at him his dreamy expression before taking a bit off his sandwich. "It's so cool."

 _That was the only thing that Dan knew and Chris didn't_. He smirked.

"Hmm..." He smiled, looking over at the lake and then back to Chris. Then he grimaced. "You want to know how to throw pebbles, right?" He asked, pushing his friend.

"Please! It's so cool, and everyone knows how to do it. I've never had something cool to show-off before." The blue-eyed pleaded in his high-pitched voice, clasping his hands together. "Please..."

Hearing Chris want something from him so badly made him feel deliberately proud, if not compelling. Nevertheless, he didn't want to make his friend crave for it.

The water flowed calmly through the riverbed, the chirping bird sounds and soft shaking of the trees adding up to the breaktime atmosphere.

"I'll even give you my pineapple juice." The freckled boy insisted, taking it out from his backpack and making Daniel chuckle. Their short sleeve shirts stopped them from melting under the sun, but luckily for them the wind that blew close gave them the optimal cool temperature. "Here."

The brown-haired one just rolled his eyes with a smile. "It's okay, Chris. I'll teach you for free." He finished with a grin, hovering down to grab a pebble and sitting up again.

"For free?!" He smiled immediately, their eyes shining with innocence as he watched his friend throw the flat rock up in the air repeatedly.

A plane soon flew over their heads, making a few kids of their class scream random videogame-related things towards it, before starting to talk about that topic in between them.

"Yeah. That's because you're my best friend." He said proudly, hopping off the branch and onto the pebbles. The rocks clashed against each other when Daniel's shoes landed on them, crushing beneath his feet as he moved. "Chris Eriksen or Captain Spirit, and Superwolf."

Chris just cocked their head to the side, smiling sincerely as their eyes started to shine with admiration. He loved it when Daniel gave him free stuff. _But then, he always gave him things;_ unlike their rude and selfish classmates who wanted _everything_ for themselves.

Then they heard it.

A clashing object next to them startled them both, making Daniel stumble backwards a bit. Soon, little Pete Valley and Luca came into view, clutching to each other with their cheeks stained with mud and dry leafs.

"What's _that_?" Pete asked with his high-pitched voice, pointing towards the shattered glass over the pebble ground.

Close to them, in the centre of their semicircle, stood a tiny pile of shattered glass soaked in different colours, glowing and shining with a viscous substance gripping to it.

" _Whoooah_." Pete and Luca said in unison, bending in direction to the strange pile of trash with dazzlement. The glass pile continued to twitch and glow under the different coloured substances that soaked it in that gummy liquid. _It was new, amazing and super-weird!,_ thought Daniel.

He took further steps towards the strange pile of trash that had fallen there mysteriously, kneeling in front of it while he turned around towards Chris.

"Hey, Chris! Do you want to see this?" He asked with an amazed voice, soon gathering his two friends around the strange object pile with amusement.

The blonde little boy just shrugged, grimacing unconvincedly. "Ehm... I dunno. I think I want to finish my sandwich first." His eyes were glued to the little incident that had occurred before Daniel's knees. He didn't want to wash his fingers in... _that_. "I'm fine."

Silence. Daniel blinked.

"Okay." He shrugged, turning towards the pile of colourful glass along with Pete and Luca. The last one was especially curious.

"Did you _see_ that?" Pete asked, hesitating before placing his fingers close to the viscous substance. _Should he touch it? Was it rat venom, or something?_ "Do you think it's insecticide?"

"In a variety of colours?" Luca rolled his eyes, before turning towards the gummy pile of glass waste. "Dummy." Then he watched how the substance that slicked the glass pieces up leaked over the pebbles, making them shine too. _They were such beautiful rocks now..._ Then he smirked, brushing his fingers past the substance first and covering his fingertip in the weird and shiny viscous goo.

Daniel and Pete Valley gasped in unison, staring at him like he was a ghost. Even Chris elevated their look, frowning. _What were they doing?_ The blonde boy's heart skipped a beat as he watched Luca reply to them smugly.

"See? You're just pussies." He said, slicking up his fingers with the substance he had stuck on his hand. His palms ended up brushed with the blue substance, which he placed furtherly on top of the glass pile. "Nothing is going to happen to me."

Pete and Daniel exchanged crazy looks, widening their eyes before gradually exclaiming " _c_ _ooool_.. _!!!_ " and placing both their respective hands over the pile of glass, experimenting with the shiny substance.

 _What a bunch of weirdos_ , thought Chris.

"It's probably just fun science waste." He said, munching on his sandwich calmly. "Nothing to adore _so_ much." He said. But in reality, he just felt kind of jealous towards Pete and Luca and their ability to lure Daniel away from him.

_Should he get up and join them too?_

Soon, a girl named Mia Bailey walked into the scene, bringing her chocolate bar wrapping to throw away, grasping their attention when she shrieked.

"What are you doing?! Is that _glass_?" She asked, worried that she could get into trouble.

"Yeah!" Pete Valley yelled in her direction, aiming at her his slicked up hands. Mia gasped loudly, before Luca stood up to follow her with his hands full of the viscous substance. She started running in circles now, chased down by a chaotic and naughty Luca.

"Stop it!!!! Lucaaa!" She cried, running away from him.

Pete Valley just laughed, having fun with Daniel with the gooey substance as if it were plasticine. Chris rolled his eyes, munching on his sandwich slowly. _Idiots_.

"Teach! Teeeeach!" Mia shrieked. "Luca won't leave me alone!"

Spoiler? She ended up hysteric, touched by the black haired boy's slicked hands and had a blue stain of her own. Chris finished his sandwich quickly, putting the wrapping away when his friend stood up with Pete Valley, now both worried.

"Should we put the glass away? To avoid animals getting hurt?" Daniel asked.

Pete shrugged, staring at his own hands with confusion. Then he looked at Daniel.

"Yeah. Be careful that the teachers don't find out, though." He said, bending over to pick up the pieces with a napkin. Pete mirrored him.

Suddenly a figure fell from above, darting down the sky while screaming in agony as it fell. " _Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah_ _!_ ", until it clashed into the trees.

The group of kids elevated their eyes toward the incident, widening their eyes with amazement. Even Chris, who couldn't really explain it. " _Whoaaaah_." Said the three of them.

The ship rattled, the objects and machines wobbling over the surfaces where they were placed, while an angry Olkrop yelled into the microphone.

"⟒⌇⟒ ⟟⎅⟟⍜⏁⏃ ⋏⍜⌇ ⊑⏃ ⏁⍀⏃⟟☊⟟⍜⋏⏃⎅⍜ ⏃ ⏁⍜⎅⍜⌇ ( _That fucking idiot has betrayed us all_ )!!" He complained with an angry expression.

He clicked some buttons, snapping his tongue while he hung up on Rhyth, who had just called him. What excuse was he going to give the federation now? _Because had nothing inside his pockets_.

"⋏⍜, ⌰⍜ ⊑⟒ ⏁⟟⍀⏃⎅⍜ ☊⍜⋏ ⟒⌰ ⍀⟒⌇⏁⍜ ⎅⟒ ⌰⏃ ⟒⌇☊⍜⍀⟟⏃ ⊑⎍⋔⏃⋏⏃, ⍾⎍⟒ ⟒⌇ ⎅⍜⋏⎅⟒ ⌿⟒⍀⏁⟒⋏⟒☊⟒ ( _No, I threw him away along with the rest of the human waste, where he truly belongs_ )." He yelled, closing the door as he prepared the machine for intergalactic journey.

Olkrop was soon rushing, flying up towards space, leaving everything and everyone behind as he activated the speed of light propulsion on his ship.

_Three. Two. One._

Then he was gone, a flash of light forming before the spaceship before it darted towards the infinity and out of sight.

 _Pchium_ _!_

______________________________________

_Last day of school before Christmas break_

_Present day_

_Creek, United States_

_________________________________

ˢᵗᵃʳʳⁱⁿᵍ ᵈᵃⁿⁱᵉˡ ° ᶜʰʳⁱˢ ° ᵖᵉᵗᵉ ° ˡᵘᶜᵃ ° ᵐⁱᵃ  
_________________________________

(Sucker - J. Brothers)

"Did you carry pocket money enough for a snack?!" His grandmother called him out from the first floor, below the mezzanine. "You better, because I ain't giving you shit today!" Then she laughed humorously.

Daniel combed his hair as fastly as he could, barely listening to Claire as she yelled from the first floor. On the busy morning before his football match with Pete Valley and the rest of their friends, he didn't have time for anything else other than washing his face and having an express breakfast. He didn't want to be late to encounter with his sports team, even if it was the last day of high school before Christmas break; besides, if he was fast enough, he could hop on Chris's dad's wheels and arrive in style. Chris was a really responsible and an early riser, and he was aware that waiting wasn't a really strong trait of his. _Also, he was his best friend and wanted to make him know he hadn't forgotten about him, even though they had spent a month being kind of ghosty to each other_.

"And tell Chris at school if he's bringing the special napkins I asked Charles for!" She exclaimed.

"Okay!" He yelled back.

"Well, gosh, nevermind. He's next door, he won't hurt to go and fetch them in the five days he'll be staying over." She continued yelling.

"Uh-huh!" Daniel replied. _Maybe that sleepover was exactly what him and Chris needed to put each other up-to-date and not disappear from the other's lives eventually._

The younger Diaz member stared at his reflection in the mirror one last time, dropping the object over the bathroom sink without a thought as he dashed down the stairs. The "NSFW" patch on his backpack, which was bouncing behind him, hadn't yet come off and had made sure to sew some edges just in case. He adjusted his long-sleeved Firewalk shirt as he crossed the hallway, into the kitchen as he grabbed a small-size juice box from the fridge.

"I'm late, don't bother waiting for me!" He exclaimed as he walked past Sean, who was very concentrated in his drawing tablet. He was busy finishing his chapter for the week, which he furtherly uploaded on _Tapastic_. It had a million views already and had created a Patreon account of his own. He had also had the pleasure to do an interview from a popular comic industry, where he had gained a lot of prestige. Today, he wasn't just Sean Diaz. He was also "Diazblo", an independent comic creator and self-taught artist that was loved by his fandom.

"Young man, you do not get to decide when you have your breakfast! Come here and make yourself a sandwich, at least!" Claire interrupted, restlessness already coming out of her voice. She wasn't happy. _Darn_. Sean had looked up from the tablet he was working on, looking at Claire before aiming an _"are you really going to do this now"_ look at Daniel.

"Oh! Today's the football match and everyone is, yenno, waiting for me. I can't really fail them, so I think I'm gonna leave now." He replied as he walked backwards, in direction to the main door. "I'll see you guys this afternoon!" He exaggerated, faking a kiss for them both.

" _Enano_ , you forget your lunch bag!" Sean rolled his eyes, hovering over the table to pick the paper bag. "Here." He said, hurrying over to place the object in Daniel's hands.

"Thanks, dude." Daniel answered, not listening to Claire's ranting about having to eat breakfast before going, and the consequences of it. He then readjusted his backpack and placed the bag inside as he walked away from the room, hurrying through the hallway in direction to the main door.

"Good luck with your match, Danny!" Sean exclaimed, aiming his tablet pen at him. Claire yelled. Daniel beamed towards his brother as he grabbed the skate that he had inherited from Sean, and walked out of their house with a loud and quick door shut.

_We go together_

_Better than birds of a feather, you and me_

_We change the weather_

_I'm feeling the heat in December when you're around me_

Daniel kept impulsing his speed with his right foot as he dashed past Chris's house, cocking his head towards it only to find their car had already drove off towards high school. _Oh, he could already forget about arriving to school in time_. Daniel clicked his tongue, concentrating on not running into a post while he moved in fast-speed across the road, keeping his balance as he directed the skateboard towards the building that felt more like a prison everyday. Rude kids, rude teachers, rude parents. He only liked it when he could go and train in the football field, run some miles, do some squats... Anything he could use to distract his mind from the fact that he wasn't good at any subject, and that his destiny in life depended on the results he would get in a bunch of exams he had to nail in senior year.

_I've been dancing on top of cars and stumbling out of bars_

_I follow you through the dark, can't get enough_

His hair flipped, the purple strand of hair from his bangs contrasting with his brown mane. The beanie, that was black and had a couple of colourful and popular patches (one of a skeleton hand showing a middle finger, a cactus, a circular patch that said "In memory of when I gave a shit" and NASA's logo but changing the word to "GAY" gifted by Chris) sewn onto it, held his hair from flying behind him or sticking to his eyes.

_You're the medicine and the pain, the tattoo inside my brain_

_And, baby, you know it's obvious_

_I'm a sucker for you_

He had finally arrived (after ten minutes) to the building of red bricks that promised to give a quality education to the students that attended "school", if that could even be named so. He slowed down on his skateboard, doing zig-zagging on students and scanning the sea of pupils, for the blonde mane and earphones that always clutched a binder.

Where was he?

_You say the word and I'll go anywhere blindly_

_I'm a sucker for you, yeah_

_Any road you take, you know that you'll find me_

A few metres away, Mia Bailey arrived to the building while she readjusted her glasses, placing a strand of her long and curly blonde hair behind her ear. Her dark and basic backpack hung over her shoulders, its weight suddenly reminding the blonde girl that she hadn't invested in a cute little pastel backpack, and about another ten things that she thought were wrong with her continued to make her feel slightly miserable. Her insecurity tried to wrap around her like a cloud, but she shook it away. She tugged at her rebellious and thick hair, hating every centimetre of it; why couldn't she have thin and straight hair like the rest? She could do a lot with a pretty hair. Maybe different clothes too, but she had no idea about fashion. Cecily was a really nice girl that was helping her find herself, like her "bitches", like she liked to call them. With her new friend, this was going to be her year, she was sure about that. _Kind of_.

Chris Eriksen strolled the hallway, walking past a girl with thick blonde hair whom he recognized from Literature class. The students on both his sides seemed pumped up, excited and cool about the popular event being carried out that day: the annual Christmas football match. Or like the blonde-haired boy liked to name it, "the newest sports activity that his best friend had ditched him for". Some time ago, he hadn't seen it as a problem that would get in between him and Daniel. _It was just that... He kind of wished he was a better part of it all_.

Right then, he just felt like the brown-haired boy's childhood friend third-wheeling in the background. Something of the sort. Besides, Daniel didn't even text as much anymore, and was always seen hanging around Pete Valley and his boy best friends. He would always sit down to have lunch with them, laugh and joke with them _non-stop_ , go over to their houses after school, and what was most important, he went to many, many parties at the mighty and popular Aaron Hills's house. Aaron was basically the closest to the richest kid in town with a pipe in his backpack with an army of "dudes" and "bros" behind his back.

Daniel had started to be into these things when they entered high school two years ago, and his athletic condition and outgoing personality just fit in like a glove with them. Chris had, after many attempts to feel attracted to bickering and sports, felt out of place in that bubble, and preferred to hang out alone or join Abby and Blue in their tech activities while he drew in his notebook. Other days he preferred to hang out in the library. Some days he just sat on the stairs, playing mobile games or catching up with homework. Other days, he'd just stare at Daniel Diaz from afar, and wonder what the heavy and distant feeling in the air that had settled since their communication collapsed, meant. _That made him and Daniel pull a bit apart lately in a rather awkward and cold silence. At least, that's how he felt._

Gwenyth Miller entered the building with confidence, stuffing the packet of cigarettes inside her backpack before any staff or teacher could bust her, placing the heart-shaped glasses over her head. Cecily and Chloe held onto each other in between chatter, showing each other posts in their phones and cheering in unison: _Chloe had finally got a date!_ The black-haired girl surnamed Miller readjusted the scarf around her neck, getting out a bar or lipgloss and applying its substance over her lips, enough to make them humid.

She had already organized something fun with her two childhood best friends, in case that the afterparty that night didn't work or was cancelled in the last minute; they could watch vintage old movies, do skin-care routines, practice some guitar or singing, remake fun TikTok trends before dinner... But before bringing her two friends over, she had to make sure that her younger sister Melanie was being well taken care of and fed. She then saluted the pastel-haired girl with cute clothes named Hailey who was walking in the opposite direction, who soon rushed over to hug Chloe.

Daniel opened the gate with his hand, carrying the skate under his remaining arm. He slipped inside and walked through the packed corridor, soon receiving Aaron's cheerful handshake and a couple pats on the back from the football team made of Craig, Pete Valley, J and Harry Gretch. He proceeded to salute his friends with big fun, some of which already carried a hangover from the night before. Those last ones he hugged, ruffling their hair with affection and receiving pats on his back in return. Were they going to make it through the day just fine? He knew how troubled they could get when they didn't get enough sleep... Or too much booze the night before. For that same reason, Daniel had decided to leave the party earlier. Nevertheless, he shared mutual smiles with them and called them endeared names; nothing less that their brotherly and fraternal bond had proportioned them in terms of treatment and salutation.

_I'm a sucker for all the subliminal things_

_No one knows about you_   
_about you_

_And you're making the typical me break my typical rules_

_It's true, I'm a sucker for you, yeah_

The fun and humoristic pack dismissed him shortly before continuing their own path, leaving Daniel to high-five the pair of tech-nerds Abby and Blue (who were easy-going and carried a lot of humor, making his day sometimes), a very intelligent and passionate girl named Becka who loved dramatic arts (she had made sure to show him around on his first day and had let him copy her notes when he failed to write them down), Pay and his friend Steven who had invited him to a couple of their parties, and maybe some people from his class whom he hardly ever talked to but thought they were chill.

_Don't complicate it_

_'Cause I know you and you know everything about me_

_I can't remember_

_All of the nights I don't remember_   
_When you're 'round me_

Things had changed a lot in Daniel's life in five years. New house, new life, new friends... He had been able to cope with his father's death with lots of support, receive a lot of help and nurture, and visits from his brother's best friend, who would come over and stay for days, or educated to have emotional strength and self-fulfillment. Still, he never could've achieved any of that without his older brother, Sean. He used to get along poorly with him, get into fights, mock around. He thought he had been slipping away, growing into adult life with other plans and other people to call his family and friends. _He had felt his brother grow tired of his inexperience and ranting, pulling apart in the past before the drama had happened_.

Now, instead, he had a sense of confidence, a point where the rest of his life could develop, friends... Just with the little issue that he didn't have yet a clue about what he should study or work on. But that was okay. _He had a year and a half to find out._ What mattered was that his brother had definitely buckled up for him, and he was actually watching it all work out just right for him. He was happy he didn't decide to do something stupid like run away from the police, or go away to another country. _That would've been rad, and surreal_. He was just thankful for the conscience Sean had taken in consideration when treating him throughout the years that followed their father's death. If not, that one of the main reasons why he was minimally healthy right then, was thanks to Sean's help.

_I've been dancing on top of cars and stumbling out of bars_

_I follow you through the dark, can't get enough_

_You're the medicine and the pain, the tattoo inside my brain_

_And, baby, you know it's obvious_

When Daniel elevated his eye-sight, he came into view. That desired figure he had been keen on seeing since the day before, and the other one, and the one previous to it... The bunch of gold locks and curious blue eyes that seemed to observe it all, creative, curious and dreamy, just like his artistic personality. He was an artist, like his mother, a true creative profile that just gifted smiles wherever he walked, wherever he stepped into, glowed a concrete aura that could brighten up anyone's day.

_I'm a sucker for you_

_You say the word and I'll go anywhere blindly_

_I'm a sucker for you, yeah_

_Any road you take, you know that you'll find me_

That annoyingly bright boy. Grade 11's talented and misunderstood rookie illustrator, that always thought twice before being proud about himself. Those pair of eyes that looked at you once, and stayed with you for a long time. That soul that touched you and rang a bell inside, making you realize that maybe the most desired things in life are just in front of your fucking face.

Also known as _Chris Just Break Someone's Heart Already_ _Eriksen_. Who was, by the way, whipping his hair bangs away from his eyes amazingly and comforming Daniel's "curious" glance. _Because there's nothing wrong with thinking your best friend looks gorgeous, right?_

Daniel beamed, looking down to his feet before turning his glare to his friend, who soon spotted him in his place. Chris's slim and gentle body, that carried his lavender coloured backpack and a shy smile, shifted closer to his neighbour and mouthed a soft "hello".

 _Like he didn't look cute already in that basic white shirt and tight jeans that revealed his fit and delicate body_.

"You arrived in time. I was late, I know." Daniel apologized. He brushed his hair away from his eyes messily, his purple streak soon falling over his eye. His eyes scanned his friend, who widened his eyes with curiosity in a soothing way.

"Oh, no, don't worry. We'll pick you up next time." He replied, trying to calm him down with his easy voice. "You probably had to take your time getting ready for today. It's your match, right?"

Daniel smiled, readjusting his backpack. He placed the skateboard at his feet, shortly before Chris's foot started moving it slowly back and forth, to kill the time. The brown-haired boy gulped, trying to think about an excuse for not having shown up to drive to school together without success.

"Yeah, today's the day. The guys have been hyping over it the whole week." He replied as he did the actions mentioned above. Daniel then continued fidgeting with his nails, which he had painted in a glossy black colour. "They're probably gonna ditch some class to train, like always." He chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"You're good enough without skipping once. That definitely gives you the medal." Chris remembered him with a warm voice. His blue eyes aimed at him in a caring way, blushing Daniel.

"Oh, c'mon... I didn't do anything." He said, alternating in between looking at him and away, slightly embarassed. "I mean, Sean would make sure to get out his slipper and hit me until death if I ever failed assistance." He joked.

"Sure he would." Chris said sarcastically. Daniel chuckled, laughing softly with pink cheeks. He then elevated his sight to find a good-humoured Chris staring at his surroundings, clutching to his binder without knowing what else to say. _Could he stop being so darn..._

"I hope you have fun with the guys at the match today." Chris said, interrupting his thoughts. He stepped on the end of the skateboard, gripping the edge of it with his hands to carry it. It kind of made Daniel fluster. "I know I'm not the type to be into these things, and I don't expect you to ditch that to come and hang around in the library, but... Yeah. Have fun." He managed to say, smiling softly and dearly.

Daniel widened his eyes, caught totally off-guard. _He wasn't mad that they hadn't talked to each other lately? For real?_

"Heh, no, it's okay." He grinned, like an idiot. "I totally slept on a chill-out session in the library with my long-time best friend. I forgot, and I'm really sorry." Daniel replied, staring towards the ground to avoid looking like a way too blushing fool. "I've been kinda busy with the guys, and the league thing..."

Chris rolled his eyes with fun.

"And like I said, I totally get it. This is important to you, and I want it to be a nice moment today. I'll try and get a top place in the bleachers, see if I can add some extra support today." He grinned, letting his friend catch a snippet of his white smile. Daniel's eyes instead, glittered and glowed even more. _Had he really been growing up with that excited and creative boy in a cape and mask?_ He melted into a smile, huffing humoristically.

"Would you really do that?" He asked incredulously at the same time as hopeful. He couldn't believe it. Chris Eriksen, the introverted guy with his nose stuck in a notebook, watching a sports game? After everything his father forced him to see, presumptuously worried that his son was turning somehow "feminine"?

"Of course. I know how much this really means to you. I want to let you know I care." Chris answered proudly.

Daniel batted his eyelashes, unable to believe his friend. He received the skateboard and thanked him, his thankfulness and excitement reflecting in his eyes. He proceeded to exhale calm now, kind of glad that he had been dwelling over a stupid thought for no reason. _Because, heh, why would actually Chris feel bothered that they weren't talking as much?_ Maybe he was the only one giving importance to that matter, since the blonde boy seemed as cool as the water.

 _He was awesome_.

"Thanks, Chris... That's, that's really nice from you. I appreciate it." He said with the most cheerful tone that his deep and low adolescent voice let him. Then he turned around, realizing that the corridor was starting to loose students and adquire silence, as pupils walked into their classrooms in pairs, holding onto their books and pencil cases.

Class had started.

"Just about time." He chuckled, mirroring his blonde friend, who was staring to take some steps too. "It was lovely to see you." Then he blushed. "I mean, I haven't heard much from you this week. Since..."

"Don't worry, Superwolf _._ We've both been busy." He smiled honestly, looking at him with an undecipherable expression before turning away to walk. "We'll hopefully talk in between classes, since today's the last day. Or after the match, whenever you can." Chris commented, already walking towards his classroom. He turned around to face Daniel one last time. "See ya, _dude_." He added, trying to sound like his redheaded friend.

 _When someone turned back after leaving meant genuine interest, or something like that_. Daniel observed his friend with a thoughtful expression. He then smiled patiently and picked up his skateboard, pointing a finger at him. "See ya. _Captain... Spirit_?" He finished the phrase with a chuckle.

Chris grinned back, the happiest he had seen him in the whole month. Daniel denied with his head, staring at his classroom one last time before staring at his friend, watching him go. Then both of them parted ways.

"See you... around." Daniel mumbled under his breath.

Chris instead, hurried into class with a pair of red, bright and blushing cheeks that threatened him with steaming off like a fucking train.

His light steps covered for him, anyway.

_I'm a sucker for you_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's your local Spiritwolf content creator... First of all, to whoever read this until the end, thank you so much! Kudos and comments mean a lot to writers who are still learning, and I'd obviously love to hear about what you love! And about what you hate too :) 
> 
> Hope you enjoy every chapter of it! This chapter was more of an introduction to the story and the rest will have more content and intrigue...


	2. Giraffes and cheese bits

( **Role Model** \- Phoenix)

Mia Bailey exited the classroom for break time in a good mood. She readjusted her black hoodie over her shoulders, fiddling with the thin black choker that decorated her neck. Felicity had tried to make her feel more comfortable with her hair by styling it into boxer braids, which the blonde girl wore with style, along with a cool beanie that Daniel Diaz had lent her. Her feet walked over the floor more secure now, a light feeling taking over her heart as she digested the question that the girls had asked before: " _Do you want to come to the after-party with us? You do, right?_ " Cecily had made an extra emphasize on the second question.

She absolutely had no idea. Her? At a party? The blonde girl was skeptical about that idea. She was somehow worried that she'd be tired soon, be unable to follow everyone's flow, business, whatever vibe they shared... Mia just felt insecure about the idea of overshadowing people's fun with her inexperience. She didn't want to impress anyone, or dance for a girl, boy, or whoever. Usually, her nights were spent watching Netflix shows and catching up with her hobbies, but definitely not showing off outfits or drinking skills.

Should she follow Cecily's lead? She had been told by the girl that she had plans for Mia, ones that promised taking her to the top to enjoy every second of her time as possible. Could Mia put up with that?

Mia strolled out of the cafeteria some minutes later, holding a small box of juice in her hand as she walked across the field outside. Her feet stomped over the stone, walking quickly past other students who were walking in the opposite direction. To her left, Aaron and his friends were kicking a ball with their feet and jumping over the humid and cold grass, eager about something as they yelled out vapor to the cold air and clutched to their thick scarfs.

The blonde girl stared over at them as she placed her hands inside her hoodie pockets, wondering if she'd ever acquire enough confidence to just vibe around without a care, doing what she wanted without caring if someone was okay with it or not. It was kind of an art though, to be that carefree and cool. Mia had spent too many years over the edge of getting depressed and lonely, but that was going to be the year where she finally accepted reality as it was, that people weren't as different and scary as she thought and that everyone deserved a chance under the spotlight. _That was totally her mantra ever since she met Cecily._

As she entered the main building again, she let the door close behind her. Mia made her way across the hallway when she soon discovered Chris Eriksen making a heart shape with his fingers towards... Daniel? She quickly leaned against the nearby lockers, sipping on her tropical juice by the straw as she texted her two friends to come out onto the hallway for a bit. When she finished doing so, she elevated her look only to find Chris walking away with a rainy mood before disappearing into the classroom door in front of her. _Was he okay?_

She blinked, curious. 

"So, no date tonight?" Pete Valley asked for the last time, frowning.

Cecily grimaced, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, yeah. I mean, I guess that's it." Then she stared over at her feet, moving them softly. The little space that her and her ex-lover were sharing had become suffocating and narrow. "It's over."

The redhead boy nodded, placing a strand of hair behind his ear and clutching to his backpack strap. Then he looked into Cecily's light brown eyes and maroon highlighted hair before smiling croakedly. "No grudge, right? Last weekend was still fun. As swift and intense as it was." He joked.

Cecily chuckled, rolling her eyes while beaming. "Yeah, dork." She replied, hitting him softly on his arm. "I had fun. It's just... I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Even though you're one of the cutest guys I've ever met. Please, don't take it personally." She grimaced while taking out a bag of crisps, pressing them against Pete's chest. "Take this as a friendly and reconciliation token."

Pete chuckled, pushing his hair back in that confident way that had made many people surrender to that amusing image, and kept the cheese bits with a thankful smile. Cecily bit her lip, apologetic. "Really, it's not about you. You're hot as fuck. But..."

The redhead burst into a muted giggle, blushing softly. "No, _sis_. It's okay. You have the right to decide for yourself. I don't want to make you feel forced to sit through anything." He said in a cool voice, smiling mostly to himself. "I'm just probably not your type."

"Mmm... Probably." She replied, taking a sip of her water bottle before putting it back. "I did have fun, though. Thanks for being nice to me. You're a good guy." Cecily added, thankful, tugging at the sleeves of her oversized pastel pullover that smelled of fruits and vanilla.

"It's okay, Berry." _Everyone called her Berry_. "We're cool. Have fun on your dates." He said, walking past her to recover some personal space and finish their secretive and friendly break-up, before turning shortly. "Be careful with the bad guys, though." He winked at Cecily, who giggled softly before hitting him playfully. Then she walked into the class, leaving Pete Valley to stare down at his brand new bag of munchies.

When the redhead turned, he suddenly bumped into a blonde girl with braids, Daniel's beanie and a brown cardigan that carried her phone in her hand. _Her made-up winged eyes widened before clearing her throat, hiding her friendly and baby-ish face away from Pete_. Their eyes met for some brief seconds before the girl quickly apologized and left, squeezing between him and the classroom entrance. He blinked. "It's... alright?" He tried to reassure her apology, but there was no girl to receive his words as she quickly shifted out of sight.

Classes continued for the rest of the day as normal for Daniel. All periods were carried out as regular except the last one, where they canceled math explanation to play board games and stream music videos on the projector. He had tried to reach out to his best friend Chris during hours, but the team seemed so pumped up about the match and the after-party that he couldn't bring himself to abandon his friends and their contagious energy.

Daniel _did_ feel bad though, when he had fished out his phone to find out he hadn't read Chris's message (that invited him over to have snacks at the stairs) in break period. He frowned after quickly texting a " _Sorry, the Beavers dragged me along! I promise I just checked. I'll make it up to you! xx_ ", and wondered if the blonde-haired one would mind. _He really had ghosted Chris a little those last months, in between tests and training,_ Daniel thought _._ He and Pete Valley were joking about people's hangover types when they came out of Biology period, clutching to the other before the brown-haired one saw the blonde mane and blue eyes some feet before him. He called him out, to which the boy had melted into a soft grin before Daniel made sure to form a little heart with his hands, and aim him a " _sorry for everything_ " expression.

 _Chris's smile had finally appeared after that little action of his in the distance, chuckling softly as he formed a heart back_.

Aaron and Craig, who shared the same class as him, joined him in the back of the classroom in last period, where they leant their chairs against the wall and did some beatboxing together. The trio ended up catching a portion of the class's attention, someone from it finally fishing out their phone to record the talented moment, soon sharing some laughs with half of the class who soon brought their chairs, and crowded around the captain of the football team to talk and make jokes.

After some minutes, someone played an explicit song on the speakers, a soft collective cheer welcoming the song.

"That sounded sweet!" Pete Valley said with a soft clap as he sat on a table, fiddling with his wooden drumsticks which he had carried to school. "Can't be any less proud of my guys."

"I raised my kids well." Jensen chuckled, coming close as he gifted his friends a thumbs up. Then he joined Pete, to whom he brought two table edges close to simulate a group of drums for him. The contrary guy soon muttered excited, hitting one stick with the other while making stupid noises. 

"Your ass. I calved those bitches. Their asses are mine." Pete mocked, starting to improvise a beat on the tables that had been messily placed in front of him. Soon, a group of students turned to watch with curious and some other smitten looks. 

A sudden collective laugh fed the redhead's ego, correcting his pose to sit up straight. Daniel got up from the table, seeming strangely tired. He proceeded to kindly accept his beanie that Mia Bailey soon returned him, with a soft "thanks". Then he smiled at her and watched her leave, before turning back towards the guys.

"I think the real parent here is Daniel." Said the shyest girl in the class who had just exchanged words with Daniel, walking over to sit down with Cecily. She blushed when people turned around her. "He made sure to encourage you all and kept training very hard, even though you were all mocking around." She teased. 

Daniel looked in her direction again, soon smiling fondly. Pete elevated their looks from his fake drums, curious towards the girl he had bumped into earlier in the door entrance. _Her startled look had moved away from him so fast before_. Had they ever exchanged words?

"Naw, thank you sweetie." He said with an animated voice, soon sharing the same emotion with the rest of the guys of the team as he put his beanie back on. "We will bring the trophie home, don't worry. You'll have something to celebrate tonight, Mia."

Students around them also smiled towards the blonde girl with braids, who bit her lip sheepishly and placed a hand over her crossed legs excitedly. Felicity beamed in her direction.

"That's just supposed to happen. But I already feel you all like winners. I can see it on your faces already, yenno, mindset and shit." Said Mia, before a collective "aww" filled the air. "Especially after it, since... You guys are so excited to party and stuff."

"Party that you're coming to. Right?" Cecily asked out loud, checking her nails with a bright smile. Jensen gasped in Mia's direction.

"You're coming too, honey?" Becka smiled, finishing a sentence she had wrote down on her notebook. "Nuts." She grinned.

"What?" Mia cried. Then she leant into Cecily, to whom she dedicated a pitiful look. " _C'mon, we talked about this. I'm not into these things_." She whispered. Suddenly Cecily widened her eyes.

"You're not into the annual after-party?!" Cecily asked with a louder tone, sharing shocked eyes with Felicity, who acted surprised. Mia bit her lip hopeless, closing her eyes.

Half of the class gasped, now walking over to her to try and convince her to join everyone for the night. Soon, Mia was surrounded by excited and eager classmates. _Were they going to make it hard to say no? She bet_.

"We even made Mia's day. That's the power, guys." Harry pointed out, still smiling at Mia before looking back towards Aaron and Daniel, who were soon starting to make background beatboxing for the beat Pete was playing on his drums over the table edges. 

"We are the day." Pete boasted. "Beaver Day."

"More like Beaver Loner." Jensen laughed.

"Well, I like that name!" Exclaimed a voice from afar.

"See, town's desire." Pete chuckled, doing a drumstick trick while making a show of flipping them over in the air.

"You _are_ my desire." Craig blowed him a kiss.

"Suck my ass." Pete laughed, along with a few students.

"Pete wants me to suck his ass!! The closet's making some noise." Craig squeaked on purpose, throwing a pen over the table. A portion of the class exploded in laughs, while Daniel rolled his eyes with a red face. The image subconsciously made him blush, unable to tell why. "Five bucks."

Becka widened her mouth, incredulous. " _Come on, did you really..?_ "

"Not funny, dude." Pete said, while he came closer towards Craig and stuck out a five dollar note. "Just ask me for money next time you can't treat yourself a sandwich." Then he rolled the note until he improvised a cigarette, placing it between his fingers and blowing it towards Craig, who was hit by the little flying object. Then he started munching on a bubblegum pill carelessly while the contrary chuckled, starting to blush.

"Sorry, man." He apologised, eventually.

"Nah, it's cool." He kept munching, while Craig stuffed the five dollar note into his pocket. "Yenno... The other day we went out to party..."

_Pete Valley had strolled down the cold and empty streets with a buzzing feeling in his mind, watching with a blurry sight how everything and everyone moved funny around him. Shapes, smells and sounds mixed altogether as he stumbled, still drunk from hopping and gulping cheap spirits down with Aaron._

_A few metres away, further away from the silent street that smelt dangers and midnight monsters, stood a slim and attractive girl who wore a short and skinny dress and was whispering into her phone with a wobbling tone._

_"I can't do this. He offered me two hundred dollars, but... Yeah. I know. I'm sorry. I really am." She said, gasping for breath while she held her phone with wobbling hands. "Yeah, of course I know german." She complained. "I said so. I used all of the psychology tricks I could, but he's still not giving more. I'm sorry. I know, I'm also struggling to earn money, like all of you. Yeah well. Well... You know, I studied a four-year_ _career_ _to end up walking my ass around dark streets that smell of sex and throw-up."_

 _Pete Valley's heart sunk, widening his eyes in realisation. That poor girl, she probably had nothing else and was struggling.. No girl would go through that hell to end up yelling into a phone that $200 weren't enough_.

" _I don't have money to go over to Wiley's. I've just got enough money to give street musicians a reason to stare at me with hate." She then clicked her tongue. "No, I... I can't do that. I can catch up with Cat if I hurry over enough, and I'll ask her for some. No, the german won't let me in again. He's got family about to come over."_

 _She huffed nervously, before hugging her own arms with coldness._ _The girl_ _soon elevated his look towards him, aiming her deer eyes at him, darting around to check if anyone would be watching. She then shifted backwards._

_"I'm... I'm sorry. I'm out of work hours." She whispered quietly and quickly before turning away from him, whose heart was starting to throb inside. "And out of condoms."_

_But Pete Valley had already stuck out a ten dollar note, aiming it in her direction with a frozen but_ _compassive_ _look. Her eyes told him many stories that his soul wasn't yet ready to take in, pushing and leaving him out of breath with disturbing endings that he never asked for. The girl then slowly separated her phone from her ear, staring at him shocked, scanning him from head to toes. Silence. Pete Valley's heart_ _beated_ _out of pace, his hand still handing out the ten dollar note in front of her._

_"Go home." He managed to say with the last string of voice he had left, and pushed the money against the girl's palm. Then he pulled away, staring for the last time at the weak and freezing body of the young hopeless girl before turning around his heels and walking away._

_The look he had received from that girl was something he would find it tricky to forget. If not that the destiny that was stuck on her eyes, had bewitched him completely._

"So yeah, that's what had happened." Pete said, munching with an undecipherable expression, soon starting to drum softly to Daniel and Aaron's rythm.

Craig nodded. "Y-Yeah, I know. I didn't mean to be a jerk." Then he put his hands into his pockets. "I didn't mean to make fun of anyone like that."

Pete just shrugged and winked at him. "It's okay, man." He said, downplaying the issue as he tapped the table three times, thoughtfully, before starting to play a quick rythm. 

"Aaron, your boy is cheating on your sad and lonely ass again." Pete exclaimed, chewing carelessly as he hit the tables in a concrete pattern. The laughing continued as Craig hit the redhead playfully, who concentrated on his primitive but effective drumming. 

Someone soon took out the bag of munchies, soon gathering all the students like crows to his packet of food, ignoring Pete's rhythmical spectacle to ask for a handful of it. 

"All your stupid and senseless drama, overshadowed by cheese bits. You'd be such shitty comedians." Daniel announced, stuffing the snack into his mouth after asking for some.

"Daniel Diaz is going to twerk for all of you guys!!!" Pete yelled suddenly, playing a dramatic ending on the tables with his drumsticks. Then he tossed them away into his backpack, huffing exhaustedly. 

A collective cheer startled them all. Daniel's eyes widened before he started licking crisp crumbs from his fingertips, acting like he hadn't heard anything in a funny way. He then blushed, before staring over at his sarcastic and fun friend who was already looking at him with a smirk. The redhead slowly winked an eye towards him and licked his lower lip teasingly in a way that impressed Daniel. _Whoah_.

Half of the class exploded in yells. 

"Daniel's gonna do _what_?" Cecily asked while stuffing a cheese bite into her mouth. The girls beside her snorted and looked towards the mentioned one.

Daniel rolled his eyes, huffing, while Pete laughed loudly in his place clapping softly. 

"That's some gay-ass service." Becka said, while applying mascara on her eyelashes and looking to the ceiling.

"DANIEL DIAZ IS GONNA TWERK FOR PETE!" Someone random screamed into the corridor. Other yells added to it.

" _What the fuck_ , guys??!" Daniel complained, licking his fingertips until they were more or less _cheese-less_. Then he laughed along with Pete Valley, who soon walked towards the centre of the circle to roll his shirt a bit up, making some girls shriek before he started moving his waist shortly. _Which earned even more laughs_. 

Daniel giggled along, clapping Harry's hand with his own who faked drying some tears from below his eye. 

_Then he saw it._

Chris Eriksen looked confused from the corridor he was standing in, towards the incident's direction while clutching to his binder. His angelic and harmless appearance was distinguishable in between the hectic and noisy crowd, which was making his way into the class. The blonde boy then slowly walked inside, magically turning into the only thing that occupied his mind.

Daniel gulped his food down quickly as he stared at his own clothes, sitting on top the table in response to a first thought. Then he cleared his throat, nervous. Someone stopped the music when a mad teacher yelled out " _Turn off that garbage!_ ", in a tired and loud voice.

"So, no twerk for Pete, Daniel?" Cecily asked with a funny chuckle. Others bursted into giggles.

Suddenly Chris met Daniel's eyes, which he had almost forgot in the long time he had failed to meet them. Well, the little heart situation earlier had broken the habit, but they were still behaving like deliberate strangers. _So easily_. Daniel blushed wildly, and looked towards his friends with trouble before looking at his shy and sweet friend. He made a grimace to show he fucked up, without success.

Chris blinked.

"Ah, heh, no. It's not what it looks like." He said out loud, as the blonde boy's stare only puzzled even more. The class fell silent.

Then it hit Daniel. Why would his friend mind if it looked like the "worst"? Oh well.

The class exploded into a collective gasp, followed by buzzing whistles. Chris furrowed his eyebrows, shifting with shyness.

" OOOOOOOOOOOH!!!"

"Is he your boyfriend, Danny?" Felicity chuckled, soon followed by other girls. The boys kept whistling annoyingly as Daniel drowned in embarrassment next to his not-so-friend now.

"Oh, uh, no! It's not like that." Daniel quickly invented, as the class kept making a drama out of their discovery. Then he looked towards Chris, who looked more surprised than ever. "I mean, I didn't ditch food for this. I swear." The brown-haired boy ended up giggling as he said it, red to the core. He didn't mean to bail on him like that, and definitely didn't have the intention to ghost him when he had texted before. He had just been kind of busy, like the week before.

 _And many weeks before it_ , his subconscious added. But Daniel pushed that thought away. What kind of excuse could he give then? He finally decided to shut up and not add anything else before he fucked things up.

Chris melted into recognition slowly, hiding his inner deceivement. Of course he'd ditch food with him. _That was what he had been doing lately._ "Oh! You meant that... Well. It's... It's okay. You don't have to stop your fun with them to go and have food. We can do it in another moment." He smiled, trying to shrug careless and ignore the superficial looks of the students around him.

"OH MY GOD, THEY'RE SO CUTE!" Yelled a girl from outside, followed by excited laughs.

Daniel looked in direction to the voice with worry, soon ignoring it to look back at Chris. He grimaced again, trying to block everyone's voices out of their conversation. His friend held an undecipherable expression, making it hard for Daniel to tell if Chris was liking where their conversation was going or not. _He hoped that the blonde boy understood that his friends were kind of noisy, the type of friends that'd joke about anything and everyone in a good way_.

"Yeah, thanks. That's good. I'll make up for it, promised." Daniel quickly said, trying to pass some of his positive vibe over to Chris, who seemed like hiding their tail in between their legs anytime like a puppy.

Chris gulped indistinctly, softly gripping to his backpack straps. Pete Valley stared towards him curiously while Aaron smirked with crossed arms. Everyone looked fun but smug. _What the hell was he even doing there?_

People looked at each other, widening their eyes or murmuring instant gossip in between themselves. Daniel huffed dramatically, trying to make Chris see that he was as confused as he was. Kind of. Chris, instead, just chose to end their little conversation as politely as possible before going out for some air.

"You don't have to apologize everytime, Danny. It's okay." He insisted with pink cheeks and a hidden hurt soul. _What did he expect?_ "They're your friends."

"And you're not?" Cecily asked him out of the blue. The whole class gasped even more, making Chris feel even more shameful and sheepish.

Daniel chuckled nervously, extending his hands in from of him. "It's... They're just messing with you... No biggie. Heh." Daniel stammered, embarassed to the core as the boy before him struggled to react. He licked his lip nervously.

Chris covered his mouth for a second, hiding their frown. _Yeah, right. He should've known_. He tried to disguise his blush while he beamed fakely. "It's okay, Daniel. I'll... I'll leave you to have fun. Or twerk to Pete, or whatever you were doing." Then he looked over towards Cecily. "And you're right. Maybe not."

"I..." Daniel tried to say, lowering his eyes suddenly. _What?_

"It's okay, Daniel. Like I said, no biggie. You don't owe me anything." He chuckled, slowly turning away. "I was just going to come and remind you of Laire's... Whatever. Nevermind." His voice softly trailed away.

"Yeah, uh, okay." Daniel nodded, faking calmness while his heart throbbed inside, confused at his friend's sudden tone change. "See ya."

"Yeah. Bye!" Chris faked his smile, too, under a friendly expression that he gifted the others too, trying to keep his cool left. Then he slowly walked backwards towards the door and away, while Daniel gulped with an undecipherable expression.

As soon as the blonde boy rushed outside of the classroom, and past curious and open-mouthed students, the classroom fell silent.

Silence.

A few seconds passed until the whole crowd exploded into cheers, drowning Daniel in full mode embarrassment and defeat, who buried his face in his hands. How in the world was he going to explain all of the joke to him? He hoped his friend wouldn't dwell much about it. Would he, judging by the look on his face earlier?

Chris, instead, made his way out of the corridor with deceivement filling his mind. He remained unable to tell how his friend was able to blend into the joke without giving a fuck about it, while all he could think about in that moment was the way he felt unwanted by his own best friend and out of picture.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

( **Desire** \- Years & Years Gryffin Rm.)

As soon as the doorbell rang, the endless crowd of students swarmed out of their classes and out to the football field, where the match against the eastern Jaguars would take place. Some girls, boys and enby students crowded into little groups, changing into their sports shirts, some of them even signed by the football team. Others just went to buy food and drinks they could take to the enormous football field, and some left just hurried over to the bleachers for top seats. Basically, football matches at Creek High were taken as a huge deal by students. Many of them even prepared banners and boxes of sparklers to give away at night, along with face makeup and special chants for the football team. 

Football team was high school royalty, if they hadn't realized by now. Aaron, Craig, Pete, Jensen, Daniel, and Harry were the celebrities of the night and day, the friends of many and the ones responsible to bring the trophie home in every match. They were the Beavers. The fighters. The stars. If someone were to top them, would be the intelligent and amazing people doing job in the tech club, dramatic arts club or science lab, in between others.

But today, the protagonists had made the list, and that list was the members of the football team. It was the match day and everyone at school knew it, as people carried popcorn bowls and drink cans around, others holding candy bags and waffles, crepes, or anything they could try and sneak in the field at night.

That afternoon at 6pm was the deadline where the whistle would resonate through the whole football field, starting a tense, exciting and compelling football match that people already died to see live, hyping over it with their friends as they walked by, sipping on some drinks or fixing their hairs, makeup or whatever they needed to have ready.

"Someone said Daniel Diaz twerked for Pete. That's pretty bitching." A girl in heart eyeshades and fit sporty clothes said, sipping on a fruit cocktail. Her black hair, styled into waves, was decorated with a cute hairband, style which she shared with her friends, who were leaning against the sports fence netting.

"I would pay ten bucks to see that." The blonde girl with straight hair replied, tossing it to the side before applying lipstick. "Too bad I missed it."

"Yenno, hotties are hotties." The redhead added, making a knot on her crop top.

"Who's your hottest guy in the team?" The blonde asked, putting her lipstick back.

"Daniel." The black haired girl answered straight away.

"Aaron." The redhead commented.

The blonde girl stared at them both before slowly and smilingly sipping on the black haired's cocktail. "Sorry, Chloe. Daniel's the hottest."

The three of them laughed animatedly.

A couple metres away, some sports staff was letting people inside, walking from left to right and sending people to the changing rooms, aka the superstar's backstage, while more and more people walked towards the enormous bleachers.

Dozens of metres away, past the main buildings, was the already respected and "sacred" place for many, changing rooms for the football team of Beaver Creek High School. Inside, in between water steam and busy bodies, stood a nervous Daniel changing into his sports clothes.

He soon received a pat on the back from a friendly Craig. "Watcha doin'?" He asked in his sharp american accent. "Sittin' there, staring at nothin'?"

Daniel beamed towards him before ruffling his hair. Someone sprayed deodorant close. He then grabbed his pair of white socks, striped at the start of them.

"Nah, nothing. Adopting the, yenno, mindset for the victory winning tonight. Positiveness is everything and all that." Daniel yelled over the collective joking and chatting.

Craig laughed. "Of course, buddy! But don't worry, we got this. And after that, you'll be able to scamper off with your prince. Ha, ha, ha!" He laughed along with others, before patting him hardly on the back and leaving.

What?

"Wait, what..." But his question already faded out, his voice trailing off. Others lifted thumbs up for him as he turned around, even more confused.

"Yo, wassup Pete?" Harry said, sliding next to him.

"My balls are itching." He chuckled before starting giggling.

"Not gonna scratch them for you, Pete." He said purposefully, making Craig giggle while frowning. "Aaron, dad, he's coming for my ass."

Aaron rolled his eyes, putting his shoes on. "Scare him off, then." He mumbled.

"Shut up. You're dying for someone to scratch your balls too, even if it's just dermal satisfaction." Pete laughed.

"I'm never low on that fun, dude." Harry boasted, standing up and leaning against some lockers. "You don't wanna go there."

"Then don't bullshit me about scratching me, it screams low supplies." Pete chuckled, middle fingering him with both hands. "You just want to fight me, don't lie to yourself."

Harry put up his hands in sign of peace, forming a lump on his cheek on purpose. Then Craig joined, who was already dressed up like the two of them. Daniel kept putting his socks on before grabbing the 03 shirt.

"Yo, bro." Craig chuckled towards Pete.

"Yeah?" He said in a fake high-pitched tone.

"Why didn't you have action last party? I totally helped you out that time, even Cecily tried you." Daniel denied their head, rolling their eyes. _These guys were obsessed over sex._

"What? Of course I did." Pete defended himself. Harry started laughing with his hand over his mouth, and Daniel started smiling.

"Yeah, he did. I listened to the fucking in their room. They were having the time of their lives." Jensen added, drinking some water before passing the bottle over to the guy with black curls.

"Oh, yeah? Weren't you the guy passing out in the corner?" Harry mocked, placing a foot over the bench as he laughed.

"No, damn, no! I saw them coming out of the room, he even had a space helmet on his head and lipstick marks." Aaron pointed out. Daniel finished placing his shirt over his chest, the 03 number starring on his back with excitement.

"Fuck, dude! What it sounded like? I bet you tripped like twenty times." Harry replied.

Then he started faking high-pitched orgasms, acting like he tripped over his voice, making the guys snort. Pete snorted, hitting him after it.

"Did you know giraffe farts smell really bad?" Harry continued. Aaron already giggled, telling he would mock Pete again.

"Why the hell do you know that?" Pete prompted, frowning. "Didn't you have this super busy sex life..?"

"I just do." Harry shrugged, sharing smiles with the rest. 

"Cool, then you have something in common with them." Pete smirked instantly as he picked on his backpack for a bag of munchies. The guys exploded in giggles.

"Fuck you!" He clapped, looking downwards as the rest laughed. He then pushed his hair back, accepting his little defeat to laugh about it.

Daniel slumped next to Pete, their shoulders touching as he smiled at him. The redhead hit his shoulder with fun, winking at him, to which the brown-haired one leaned against his side brotherly. He kind of missed inviting Pete Valley over; would Chris mind it if he joined them together in his house someday? _He had a feeling that he would, after what happened in the classroom earlier._

_He just... Didn't know how to make Chris comfortable around the things that were making him happy lately. Also, he felt the blonde boy reluctant to trying new things since he remained busy with homework and his drawing._

_And many other things._

"Sooooo... Love's in the air. How'd it go with Cecily, Pete?" Craig asked again.

"Well, she was really fucking pretty, yenno. And had like this little attractive thing she did with her skirt while at it, you know... Swoosh, swoosh." Pete said. "Hot."

Silence. Some guys smiled, while others bit their lip.

"I need to take a shit." Daniel said.

All five of them burst into a collective laugh. Pete laughed the most, wiping his eyes that held no tears.

"You're fucking idiots." Pete laughed.

"Man, you're the kryptonite here, motherfucker." Harry kept mocking him. "Your balls itch the whole fucking time."

Then Pete giggled, thinking about something as he put a hand on his chin. Then, got out a festive decoration out from his backpack, faking it like he had a long-sized penis, and turned it in circles, swaying and hitting the end of it at Harry. Daniel had the most funny laugh of them all.

"Motherfucker! Go and do that to Mrs Maya. She's the one seducing students, not me." Harry pointed out bravely.

The guys widened their mouths as they laughed. Yeah, it was right. Mrs Maya, who was 20, had made out with a guy from science lab a couple of times. Their relationship was secret, like many other things going around in the high school.

Nevertheless, the guys kept laughing at it like it was any other joke.

"Bet you wanna do that to your prince Daniel, yenno, that blonde guy with the pink bag. Guys! He was staring so busy!" Aaron said in a fun tone, grasping everyone's attention, who turned to giggle at Daniel.

"He probably knows how to do proper blowjobs. Like, all the way down." Craig said, faking doing one. The guys burst into louder laughs, clapping and looking downwards. "Just look at his mouth! He asked jokingly, pointing to Daniel's lips. "Hes got that mark over there!" Daniel blushed, denying with his head.

"I bet he's got the highest number of fucks in this school. Boys, girls, people who are neither, he's tried the whole menu!" The guys started blushing from laughing.

 _Then someone said it_.

"That guy that came into class some time before, he looked SO pissed." Aaron added, clapping with laughter. "Bet he didn't like it that Daniel be sharing dick." The other guys kept giggling like idiots.

Daniel then lost his smile, clearing his throat and standing up. Some guys stopped laughing but kept beaming in his direction.

"Stop that guys, we're not fucking twelve." Daniel suddenly spit, annoyed. He then swayed in between his football team members and headed to the sink. The rest of the guys, who were still recovering from laughing, looked towards themselves with a look that wasn't quite decipherable.

"S-Sorry man!" Pete yelled, turning towards the aisle from where Daniel had disappeared. Then he turned towards the quiet guys, who still let out some low giggles, trying to slow down. "Any of you know what's going on?" He asked.

The guys denied their heads, confused as hell, starting to stand up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! You know what I'm going to say: thanks for making it until here! I appreciate a lot people reading and enjoying my work since i dedicate all of my time and energy to this... My dad already thinks I'm so invested in this Harry Potter writing LMAO. 
> 
> So... If you enjoyed this chapter, kudos and comments are very much appreciated ;) Kudos aren't hard to give and in return it makes writers more motivated to keep on working on what they love! 💕


	3. Crossing paths

( **Fences** \- Phoenix) 

Chris carried his pastel lavender backpack, as he made his way through the outdoor path that surrounded the bleachers. His soft beige platform sneakers walked on the floor that was full of students, making his way through the crowd that became more and more hectic, as he came closer to the huge football field.

He had had lunch on his own, since Abby and Blue were busy assisting light and sound effects session for the football match. Everyone lived it like it was this huge big deal, like a real football match in Soldier Field Stadium. Instead, he had made sure to copy down sufficient notes to make it up for the days he would be sleeping at Daniel's, as well as mocking around playing videogames and eating Christmas food. He had actually attended class, trying to ask as many questions as possible as the others were busy gossiping, while the teacher struggled to make their students care.

So what? It was a perfect opportunity to stay up to date and get the best out of Christmas break. He didn't like having homework to do or sheets to study. Maybe the football fans did, but Chris was as serious as all the other days. At last period it had been impossible, though, as the teacher herself had packed up and played a movie on the projector. Chris had used the moment to go and remind Daniel of Claire's text, but instead had encountered a humoristic moment that everyone found funny except himself, and fed Daniel's population more than it already was. So he left.

His day had been busy, apart from the little incidents. Apart from being slept on by his best friend and having lunch alone, he had talked to Jenny on dramatic arts period and had a laugh with Kevin's monologue (when he had finished his notes) on Math period. Guys were cool, if you knew how to listen to them. Some people just preferred to divide themselves into groups and think they're not in the same league as others, but that was teenage comedy bullshit.

Chris didn't feel different, or weird, or off-the-trails, like his father tried to make him understand. He wasn't knocked out of his brain; he actually had a very good grip on his mental faculties and was doing a good job at school. He had some friends, a good bulletin to be proud of, videogames at home, and a best friend he cared and looked out for. Sure, he could appear like a hottie-jock to most of the school's population, but to Chris he was the same sad boy that had moved to Beaver Creek five years ago. He saw in him a healed, humoristic, smart and funny kid. Like he wished him to be.

As he had promised him to get tickets to watch the match that night, his hands gripped on the little paper ticket he had bought last-minute (specially discounted since he was a student) and hurried over to the football field. He knew it would make the boy happy that he sat in front of the field to cheer out for him, so after buying a bag of italian crisps, a single Chock-O-Crisp and a can of beer, he made his way to the famous bleachers, where he had managed to buy a top seat from someone who had an emergency and had to give their place away. In between a second-hand top seat and a normal priced middle seat with a vast difference in worthiness, he had obviously preferred the first one.

He had become one of the lucky students who saved a ton of money on the match.

Chris suddenly encountered with a black-haired boy, with whom he bumped. The short figure with green eyes and straight hair, a piercing and korean clothing beamed, and caught Chris's attention.

_Right. Fucking. Away._

He had this petite complexity, cute face and small feet that Chris had absolutely adored in movies and _Instagram_ accounts. That stare. Those animated series keychains. That dyed hair. Everything around him that screamed: _I'm into this stuff, and it really doesn't matter if you don't because I'm comfortable about it_. Haters are welcome trope. Confident, sweet and probably educated.

Chris's fucking type.

"Damn, Chris. A slightly harder push and I would've knocked you out. You always walk so gently." The boy said in a friendly voice.

A slightly harder push and he would've developed a crush on him.

"Yeah, uh, damn. I'm so sorry. Didn't see you." He quickly apologized.

"How come not see that sweet face of yours, though." The green-eyed one said boldly. "I kind of expected you to dodge."

"Sorry?" He chuckled, blushing.

Damn. He looked so good. And he was forwardedly flirting with him.

"I mean, you're kind of distinguishable. People normally just push and pull around." Chris stared at the guy's hand. No ticket in it.

"Who are you?" Chris asked with a smile. "Think I've seen you around, but don't really remember."

"Luca Falls. Science club in the second floor is my home."

"Ooh. Nice." Chris said. "What got you into it?"

"What?" Luca chuckled, calmly getting out a cigarette and lighting it up.

"Science. What got you into science."

"Oh, huh. Funny question. Kinda got a dysfunctional family that teaches me the bad example, but encourage myself better. Wanna be a psychologist, yenno?"

"Wow, that's awesome. I really respect those." Chris replied, impressed. "I would love some therapy, to be honest."

"It would be my darn pleasure." Luca winked at him. Chris chuckled, rolling his eyes but already drawn to the black haired boy.

Silence. Luca inhaled the substance before exhaling it away from Chris's face. He then fiddled with his lip piercing.

"So, you a fan of the general hype today?" He said, nodding in direction to the blonde's ticket.

Chris stared at the ticket in his hand.

"Oh, yeah. Well. Not really. I'm just going to watch a friend of mine." Chris said in a cool tone.

"You're friends with the football team?" Luca asked, widening his eyes.  
"Damn. And I thought they didn't have shy friends. Well, I would totally be into having a shy one."

Chris chuckled. "Really?" He bit his lip. He lowered his head, flustered. "Careful, shy people have way too open-minded worlds. Might as well suck you into them." Chris teased him, aiming him a cat look.

"Maybe that's what I exactly expect them to do." Luca replied back.

Luca looked gorgeous. He thought he was cute, and obviously placed eyes on him. Could it be a sign?

"Heh. Maybe start giving them milestones, hotshot." Chris said with blushing cheeks, walking past him before bumping his shoulder into his, softly. "Later, Luca." He said, throwing him a last look.

Luca beamed sweetly. That smile.

"Later, honey." He said, coming closer to place a soft kiss on his cheek, biting his lips after it. He then walked backwards, smiling openly and denying his head before walking away, talking his coffee-coloured beanie off.

Chris chuckled, amazed and flustered. That guy had seriously taken the conversation in that way just to kiss him? Could he really be any sweeter? He had known that guy from drama club, but hadn't gathered the courage to break the initial ice. Because, gay panic?

Some metres away stood Daniel, who was munching on some popcorn. He sat on the stairs with the rest of the football team like they were royalty, along with a big chunk of the class's population. He proceeded to observe the situation happening below him, a little confused. Was that a new friend of Chris's? Of course, it wasn't his business, but... Why was he smiling that way? Why had that innocent kiss flustered him so much?

He didn't understand what the hell had happened down there, but the bright and new look on Chris's face definitely didn't make him feel well.

_Did he miss out on something?_

Chris's figure took some steps backwards and walked towards the opposite direction, leaving Luca to make a call on his own. After a couple of minutes, though, the black mane hung up on the phone and stared in the direction where Chris had left. Then he started his walk and followed that same direction.

That caused a sting in his heart. He had never had a relationship before, but he definitely could tell in between looks, and Chris didn't just like that boy. He was _mesmerized_. Mesmerized by someone else while he still tried to work out what he had been feeling for a long time. Had he really been working on it, or had he been sleeping on it? He liked it next to Chris. He always had. Daniel liked it when he came around, when he ran into him at high school, when they stood up at night to play videogames, when they ran away from the mart under the rain on a cold Saturday morning, when they chilled out in his tree house to smoke and listen to the sound of the trees swaying and Chris's paced breath...

He liked to be sitting on a piece of wood on a Sunday night, six or almost seven in the afternoon, with no clue of what the next day would hold for him, no idea of what he would do, just sure that being next to his blonde friend meant his heart was okay. That he wouldn't be anywhere else. The blue, greyish shade in Chris's eyes giving him a sense of home that he almost didn't find anywhere else.

He could damn well feel how Chris slipped in between his fingers after ghosting him unintentionally, even though they both acted like they hadn't. That conversation they had in the morning? It was just a patch to ignore the fact they were ghosting each other more than not. He hated that word, though. He didn't feel like that. _He didn't want for Chris to feel that way._

To be honest, he wanted to hold Chris. Like, properly grip on the hem of his shirt and bring him close. To feel the scent of his shampoo on his face. To look at his eyes and lean into his body, half naked on a Saturday morning. He wanted to trace his neck, feel his skin react, his hairs go up while their foreheads connected, tangle his fingers in between his hair only to pull him back and...

Daniel desired those things. He didn't think or act upon them, but definitely knew he wanted them. The way Chris had blushed wildly after that guy had kissed him, definitely appeared to him like he was ready to close and open doors any time. Especially when he had been so busy ghosting him to play his busy and socially active football player role.

It wouldn't be the first time Chris cancelled a sleep-over to do homework, anyways.

So instead of doing something about the whole situation that hadn't turned out well for him, he just observed the black haired boy make his way towards Chris, before asking Aaron for a cigarette and blending in with the conversation about football moves, and their efficiency in that day's match.

The whole time he watched determined how the guy carried a suspicious smirk on his face.

Suddenly, leaves around him were starting to move and lift up slowly, by the wind. They flied and fell to the ground, alternatively, making Daniel shift very surprised and stand up.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

The brown-haired boy walked past students with a heavy feeling inside his heart. This wasn't happening. No, not again. _Thud. Thud. Thud_.

His breathing quickened, gulping before looking at either sides and kept on walking towards the closest restroom. His eyes darted down towards his hand every now and then, pleading for them not to buzz again in that weird way that they always had...

He honestly had no idea where he got that strength from, but it sometimes made him embarassed in public. He had no idea of how to explain it, how to convince someone else that whatever he was doing with his hands wasn't a maneuvering of the wind or trick. He didn't want to be forced into a situation that he couldn't explain, and risk to look edgy or weird in front of his beloved ones. How could he, if he didn't even understand it himself?

Daniel covered his right hand secretively, checking if people were looking in his direction and closing it into a fist before opening the first door that he encountered. _Right, let's do this_.

He walked inside the tiled room, past the same dull and white sinks before the wide mirror that reflected the lined cubicle doors. Then he rushed into one of them, closing himself into one as quickly as he could.

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

Daniel proceeded to close his eyes and leant against the closed door, sliding towards the floor with a defeated expression. Then he used a flick of his wrist to close the toilet, wincing swiftly before huffing exasperatedly.

 _Damn. What a heck of a day_.

Right until then, things had fallen out of track a bit: Chris didn't look as amused as he wished for him to be about their sleepover, he felt weirded out by his friends, that Biology teacher had failed his surprise test, and his weird hand had started making a buzzing sensation when he had practiced the tongue rythms earlier. He had obviously cheated to do beatboxing, using the weird force that his hands created simultaneously to mirror the pattern that Harry did beside him. But this time... It had done something else that had nearly startled him out. Daniel was used to questioning his hand's own brain, but he didn't handle surprises very well. So far, he had been able to experiment secretly and hide little wrist flicks from Laire under the table, but he was just as ignorant to the things it could do on its own.

"Fuck..." He groaned softly while staring at his own palm now, opening his fist slowly before observing how his hand's skin emanated a soft, luminescent and scientifically unexplainable blue glow. _Thud. Thud. Thud_. Daniel blinked repeatedly, incredulous and scared that the situation would go out of hand and force him into a compromised situation.

The light field that covered his palm suddenly sent a jolt towards the ceiling, clashing against it and sending the energy upwards, deteriorating the material it encountered and leaving a creak in the plafond.

_Fuck!_

Daniel hissed, covering his own fist now, his heart throbbing three times as faster inside his chest, shifting in his seat as he bumped against the cubicle wall. Would his hand ever fucking listen to him? No, it wouldn't. He was alone in this; there weren't any goddamn teachers to ask questions about weird mutant body parts. Body parts which the brown-haired boy still couldn't tell how on earth were capable of sending waves of force fields everywhere and having a brain of their own.

He tried to listen to it, tried to calm it down, concentrate on shushing his hand down, but nothing worked for him. It was his rude hand and him. The new family.

"Come on, let's calm down now, buddy." Daniel mumbled softly, breathing loudly as he pressed his fingers against his palm, nervous.

Then he heard some feminine giggles on the other side of the wall, making the hairs of his neck go up and freeze completely in his seat.

 _Oh no_.

"He's such a weirdo..." The voice gossiped, to which the other girl chuckled.

"There's a long way in between daydreaming and carrying a hard dick around." The voice which he recognized as Felicity said. Then they burst into laughs.

Daniel's heart stopped as he heard those words stabbing the cool that he had left, before loosing his composure. He then closed his eyes, defeated.

Then the girls grabbed some paper from the box quickly and hurried out of the restroom in between hysteric giggles.

_Thanks, stupid palm._

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

"Hey, you." Luca surprised Chris with glimmering eyes as the blonde boy put the book back in its place.

Chris had been eyeing One Thousand and One Nights on the book shelf, without a sense of willingness to do anything concretely to kill the time. After he had encountered Luca half an hour ago, he had gone to check if Daniel was around without success. He wanted to believe that whatever had happened inside that class, was a joke. Of course, friends did a lot of stupid things together, but the way they were joking about it, like Chris meant nothing to him, and the way Daniel went along with it... The brown haired boy had looked almost ashamed that afternoon.

But when he had realized he was nowhere to be found, checking classrooms and changing rooms and rooftops, he just figured he'd be doing squats in the field and joking with the team without a care, anyway. Slightly deceived, and willing for the match to end so that they could go home together (wondering if he remembered if they had a sleepover at all), he gave up and strolled towards the library, where only two people had sat down, and a girl was playing Life is Strange on her laptop with an Xbox gamepad. The librarian, well... She totally spaced out.

"Oh, Luca? Thought you were off to go home?" Chris asked surprised, adjusting his lavender backpack.

"Oh, yeah. I mean, I was ought to go home, but in the end my older sister had to run some errands. She can't pick me up just yet." He shrugged.

Oh, great then. A perfect moment to get to know the other. What a coincidence.

"Oh, it's okay! You can stay around, since the library right now is the only place at school that isn't crowded or revolving around the whole sports thing." Chris said with a smile.

"I can tell you're not really into the match." Luca said, coming closer. He knew the effect he had caused on Chris earlier, and he was eager to explore it furtherly. "Maybe we could play a game." His expression remained determinant, complementing his secure and attractive figure. Luca's hands were in his pockets, but confidence came out of every pore as he stared at Chris with his mischevious smile.

"What?" Chris widened his eyes, melting into a smile. Then he bit his lips, and started tracing book titles with his fingers, walking along the bookshelf, Luca behind him.

"Well, I have this bet in my mind. If you win my game, I get to know you better tonight. And if you win, you go and see that "friend" of yours, which by the way, forgot you actually existed. Because, wait, he's your "friend", right?" He said, elevating an eyebrow.

He definitely had a point. He didn't like what it meant, but he couldn't deny the truth as it was. Daniel was lately cancelling on him, too busy with his sports and victories to care about his wallflower friend.

Chris chuckled, finding a book he liked and pulling it away from the rest of them, before starting to carry it.

He turned around against Luca, who was staring at him with that cat look of his, his hands gripping on a book shelf and looking down on him with his deep green eyes. Chris found himself adoring that.

"Fine. I'm going to win, anyways." Chris teased, smiling at him nevertheless. He then winked at Luca and walked towards the librarian, to register his name in the book. When he turned his head back to his friend, Luca was staring at him with this obvious smile.

After writing his name down in the list on the first page of the book, he closed it and stuffed it into his backpack. Then they both left the library and headed to the roof, where the botanical garden and benches awaited for them.

Some minutes later, they were walking up the stairs in direction to the roof, where an enormous garden full of flower and leaf variety along with rows of wooden benches were displayed.

Above them, the sun was starting to hide behind the clouds, coming closer to the horizon to lay on it. The sky was a mixture of colours, yellow, orange, red, blue and shades of dark, each of them degraded in between them.

"It's beautiful so far, huh?" Luca said, walking backwards in direction to the edge. Some seconds later he was leaning against the balcony, where a great view of the football field was exposed to viewers.

Wind blowed against Chris's face, making him place a soft strand of his blonde hair behind his ear, before letting a smile appear. Luca looked so damn good, leaning against the balcony and the air current flip his beautiful hair. His intelligence also gave him the charms, that steadiness and confidence making him king.

The blonde boy came closer, beaming towards the ground. Then he looked at Luca with adoration.

Luca, who was staring at the views, looked back at Chris. He looked so damn good, unable to accept that his football crush was obviously ignoring him and that he would give him a chance without a second thought.

"So? You're up for the game?" He asked with a fun tone.

"Bring it on. I want to see what you have." Chris smiled, placing a hand over his chin.

Luca nodded after chuckling. Then he pulled away from the balcony, walking for a bit, thinking. Then he turned around. "Have you ever played Simon Says?" He beamed.

"Isn't that a kid's game?" He snorted, biting his lip.

"Well, we can level it up." Luca said.

"How, hotshot?" Chris beamed again.

Luca laughed softly, placing both his hands on his waist.

"Well, since I want to be a psychologist myself, I'll try and work out who you are, and some reasonable advice for you."

"But I can go to a psychologist for that." Chris rolled his eyes with a smile, totally drawn to the way he was flirting with him.

"A psychologist won't use Simon Says to do that. I won't even make you feel interrogated, or uncomfortable. That'll be my talent." Luca crossed his arms, beaming as he leant against the balcony. Wind whipped his hair as his beautiful green eyes aimed at him.

"Well, that seems hard. Don't want to give you a hard time here." Chris chuckled again, walking past him slowly to sit on a bench.

Luca followed, until he joined him in his seat. There, he sat down and lit up another cigarette.

"Simon Says grab a flower from the pot." He started.

Chris grinned, standing up to do as he said so. The secure tone in his voice made him trust him, getting closer to the pot of flowers. Then he frowned.

"But... Luca. They're fixed in the soil. What if their roots are there?" Chris asked worried.

"That's exactly my point."

"Huh?"

Luca inhaled the substance from the cigarette before standing up. He walked closer to Chris was, pointing out the flower for him.

"See those forget me not's there?" He asked softly.

"Yeah. It's quiet and peaceful, with the rest of the flowers."

"Exactly." Luca said, inhaling again from the cigarette before aiming the smoke away. Then he pointed at the flower again. "It's a happy and beautiful flower, watered by those who care for it."

Chris stared towards Luca, who wisefully impersonated the flower.

"It's shy, quiet, talented and smart. So delicate and pretty. It's cute, huh?"

Chris nodded.

Then Luca tore the flower away from its root, breaking the stem. Chris widened his eyes.

"This here, is exactly what property instinct is like. That flower was beautiful, shiny, awesome on its own. It didn't ask for an owner, it just wanted some attention. And someone tore it away from its stem. From its safe place."

Chris looked into Luca's eyes, who stared right back at him with a convinced look.

"Simon Says you are this flower. You're delicate, beautiful and talented. And this friend of yours tore you from your soil, dragging you into a world that doesn't suit you. And now you're suffocating."

Chris stared towards the ground, his mind opening with realisation.

"Luca..?" He started saying.

"Simon Says this flower is going to start to wither faster than before. This flower isn't a flower anymore. It's my flower. And that's a fucking problem."

Chris stared at Luca with an undecipherable expression. Wind agitated their hair as they stared towards each other.

"Chris... What I'm trying to say is... You can choose to be this flower, or you can be another thing. Start again and get hold of things on your own. Don't be a beautiful flower that was torn and owned, be the water that nurtures and flows through it all. Suck in all of the knowledge you can, and never stop for anyone or anything."

"No one owns me." Chris frowned.

"But your friendship gets out the worst of you. I've seen the looks on your faces. I didn't want to intrude, since it wasn't my business, but let's just say I'm really intuitive and observant." Luca answered, smoking his cigarette alone and calmly.

Chris stared at him with a crooked smile. He didn't want to think that Daniel had ripped him off his soil or anything, but those words had really affected him. He didn't want to think about it, or he didn't want to admit it?

He ended up nodding, staring towards the ground with a slight sting in his heart. He wondered if someone had ever ripped Luca off his soil. Or if someone had ripped Daniel's.

"Luca, I..."

Suddenly, the sprinklers turned on, elevating to the height of the benches. Luca had tried to walk back, as well as Chris, but it was too late since now both of them were watered.

"Uh! I really swear this wasn't part of the plan!"

Fuck. His ticket was in the front pocket.

Chris placed his backpack facing his stomach, being able to cover the front pocket with his arms, as his legs moved frenetically away. Luca and him made their way through the botanical garden, getting soaked in water.

"Chris!" He said, stopping him on his tracks with his wrist.

"What?" He asked, his hair soaking wet and his light blue eyes enchanting the guy deeply.

"Simon Says you're beauteous." He finally confessed.

"What does that even mean?" Chris asked, giggling softly. His eyes shined in his direction, as his whole body soaked in water.

"Well that means that he's only got one more thing to ask you."

"Spill it, Luca. You're beautiful too, and good-looking, and smart, and..."

Soon enough, Luca narrowed their physical distance until only centimetres separated their wet bodies. Water drops fell from their chins as they stared at each other with undecipherable expressions.

"Is this okay...?" Luca asked, his voice barely audible under the "rain".

Chris found himself staring at the guy with glitter eyes, finding realization and wokeness in his earlier statements. He didn't want to be the flower. He wanted to be the water, like Luca was. He wanted to learn.

"...Yes."

Seconds later, Luca's lips had leant into his for a passionate first kiss and Chris just lost grip on his backpack, letting it fall onto the ground before embracing into the smoker boy.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

"Okay, girls. Just where are you taking me?" Mia giggled, being tugged at by her wrists by Cecily, Chloe and Felicity. Those three were the closest that she had to a family in high school, and were the responsible of the many smiles that the blonde girl's face wore lately.

But Cecily just shrugged.

"Leave everything to us. You just have to make sure you make the most out of the moment." Chloe said with a smirk, patting her shoulder with affection. "You said you wished for this thing before. Now it's our turn to help."

Mia's heart started to beat with excitement inside her chest, while her friends followed a concrete path across Berkeley Street, packed with busy people and a bike that was making its way through the sidewalk. The sun hit their faces warmly, gifting them some sunny light in contrast with the snowy landscape before them.

Felicity smiled with warmth in Mia's direction, winking an eye at her.

"Do you like your hair, by the way? Would you like to style it in a concrete way tonight? In waves, straight..?" Felicity said confidently, trying to distract Mia from guessing where they were headed towards.

Mia furrowed her eyebrows, thoughtful. She shrugged then. "Oh, I was thinking on using my hair iron before joining you at the football match."

"Wait, we're separating?" Cecily asked, confused. Then she looked towards Chloe, _her long-time best friend since 9 years_ , with whom she shared confused looks.

"No need for a big deal, Mia. We'll take care of that." Felicity said, downplaying the issue. Then she typed something quickly into her phone, staring over at Chloe with a happy smile. "Cecily, darling, should we still go and grab a drink at Londie?" 

Mia smiled croakedly. _Londie_ was short for London Bridge, everyone's favourite fancy restaurant. She hadn't tried it out yet, but she was as eager to try it as Chloe was excited to meet her date for the night.

"Yeah, god, of course!" Chloe smiled towards her screen as she typed. "Let's go and grab a seat there before we work our magic on Mia." She said with a happy tone while looking over at the blonde haired girl, as well as Cecily and Felicity.

  
Mia blinked, blushing sheepishly as she placed a strand of hair behind her ear. Some seconds later, they had walked into the dark bricked wall building with a neon sign that said "London Bridge" in a styles _Bebas Neue_ font. As soon as they walked in, Mia's nostrils soon filled up with a cinnamon smell, making her let out a relieved and marvelled exhale.

What a _fantastic_ smell!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know... I know... How DARE I. Please give this fic a chance before you, by any means, can suspect I'll be giving these two a hard time until their hearts break! I promise it will get better. Until then, enjoy yourselves a fair share of angst :) 
> 
> Like I always say, kudos and comments are pretty much appreciated! It gives many writers motivation to keep on working and a reason to get up in the morning and spill our emotions. Hit that mf kudos if you enjoyed ;) 
> 
> Or leave a comment 🤭


	4. All I Want For Christmas

_6 pm, The night of the football match_

Spotlights on. Flashing on the green field grass that had been just watered. A huge, fierce and committed crowd screaming. A lot, an awful lot of yelling, screaming and chanting on the enormous bleachers of the football field.

_Beavers! Beavers! Beavers!_

The crepe guy selling a huge deal. The delivery man bringing drink and munchies over to people who traded them for five bucks. More screaming. The spotlights shining over the place, welcoming the cheerleaders onto their improvised stage. The sky turning a dark blue and the swaying of trees, that welcomed the night as a spectator of the football match.

Every single eye on the field in front of them, where Aaron, Craig, Pete, Jensen, Daniel and Harry appeared and started to salute the hectic crowd. Craziness and fanatism swimming through the spectators, as they started to applaud and cheer frenetically.

"Daniel, are you alright, man?" Aaron asked, towards the figure that hovered over his own weight, in direction to the ground.

Craig, Jensen, Pete and Harry were busy greeting their trainers, some cheerleaders and some classmates that were very excited about the football team.

Daniel batted his eyelashes, looking up towards Aaron. Then he shrugged, tugging on his long sleeves to protect his skin from the cold. He didn't want to talk about it, and less minutes away from the match. _He had to concentrate_.

"Man, you seem... Down." Aaron said, kneeling to his level and brushing a hand past his back. "You sure?"

Daniel huffed, staring towards the distance with bitterness. Then he looked into his friend's eyes and melted into a worried look, denying. "Y-Yeah... Everything's alright."

"Of course, and pigs fly." Aaron mocked. "C'mon. What's wrong, dude?" He asked with a soft voice, and a concerned look on his eyes for his depressed friend. Daniel stared back.

"I just... Nevermind." He huffed. "It's not a real problem anyways."

In front of them, a crowd cheered and screamed and chanted for them with enthusiasm.

"Dude, don't bottle this before the game. We need a winning and positive attitude! Get it off your chest, man. Don't worry, okay?" Aaron insisted, patting his back softly. Daniel calmed at his touch, exhaling heavily.

Daniel then aimed his glittery eyes at his friend, and weakened right after it.

"Man..." He said, not taking away his hands from his back.

He exhaled. "I dunno, i just... I won't tell you much other than the fact that it has to do with that "guy" that got pissed earlier in last period.

"You're still mad at us?" He asked.

"No. I'm not mad at you, I'm... There's someone else doing weird stuff." Daniel tripped over his voice, ruffling his hair.

"Who? What?" He frowned.

"No. I mean, that guy you guys made a huge deal on, he's my best friend, and now someone else is in the picture... He's kinda weird." Daniel stammered, more mad as he remembered it.

"Oh, wait, wait... That guy from before, with the pink backpack? He's your best friend? And someone else is in the picture? What you tryna say?" Aaron asked, sitting properly down next to him, brushing his back with his hand.

"He's... Well..." His voice trailed off.

Slowly, Aaron's eyes widened in realisation. _Oh, no way_.

"Wait, wait. What's going on here? Why are you damn worried about someone else getting close to your best friend, dude? You into him?" He asked.

Daniel shrugged, biting his black nails. He frowned even more as he stared over to the cheerleaders. Aaron, with widened eyes, observed at the way he bit his own black nails, remembering his pissed off mood at the changing rooms, his embarassment when his friend had come over... It all made sense.

"D...Dude. I didn't know at all. I'm, I'm really sorry, okay? We didn't mean to make fun of you." Aaron continued, brushing his hand over his back in a calm and reassuring way.

Daniel just beamed sadly. "It's okay. I know." The wind flipped his hair, making his bangs fly to the right.

"Well, then... This new guy, who is he?"

Slowly, the other guys started to join the conversation. Craig kneeled in front of them, while Jensen observed the situation happening in front of them. Harry and Pete both hold onto each other as they looked down towards Daniel. They whispered a calm "hey" before listening closely.

"Well, yenno. This guy we all know who dyed his hair black, wears korean stuff, piercings..."

"Oh, yeah. Luca Falls." He nodded. "The tarot witch, _edgy family_ -ish descendant."

Silence. The guys proceeded to remain quiet towards Daniel's confession, biting their nails or staring over at him with this undecipherable expression that they found hard to change. Especially in that determined context Daniel found himself in.

 _Oh fucking well_.

"Who's edgy... Too?" The brown-haired replied. "I saw him follow Chris earlier with this weird smirk." Daniel pouted softly.

"Oh. So it's _Chris_." He suddenly grinned in his direction.

"Yeah, that's his name." Daniel nodded, biting his thumb.

"Okay then. So this lovely Chris of yours..." He said, while the others slowly started beaming. "...Is supposedly seduced by this new edgy "emo" guy, making your self-esteem fall to the floor and you're _not_ into him?" He smiled. "Daniel, it's pointless to deny anything at this point."

Harry and Pete shared a grin. Their friend was in need. The second one from the pair kneeled next to Craig and held Daniel's face in between his hands.

"Man, it's okay to be gay, yenno?"

Daniel blinked, gently surprised at their carefree vibe. _He knew. It was just..._

"Yeah. I mean, I totally get why you sulked earlier." Craig added with a soft sad smile. Harry agreed with him.

"I'm not worried about being gay or not. I mean, Chris is the first guy I've..." The rest of the guys smiled in between them, sharing accomplice stares before looking towards Daniel. "Well, nevermind. I'm just worried."

Silence.

"You're just jealous." Pete lifted an eyebrow. "Of a guy who knows very damn well how to use his charms."

"Why?" Daniel asked.

"He's into psychology. You know, mind tricks and shit." He said, turning a finger in direction to his head.

Daniel elevated both his eyebrows, surprised at the truth. Aaron, instead, frowned.

"Listen, Daniel..." Aaron said. "What I was trying to say myself is... That you can't really control these things. Because in the end, the more you want someone to stay, the further away they drift."

Daniel recovered the same look on his face he carried before, and exhaled slowly.

"You'll have to let him be, if this is what Chris wants. It'll hurt, but that will be your proof of love." Aaron confessed. "Truth sucks, man."

The rest of the guys looked at Daniel, showing a crooked smile or patting him in the back.

His heart stinged at the way he didn't expect their Christmas sleepover in the same way anymore. He hoped that they could get together and finally spend some time putting themselves up to date on each other, playing videogames while they smoked a cigarette or a pipe. He hoped that they would stay up late talking, like they did back when they were kids. He wished that they could spend days laughing, watching movies and making fun tiktok's, hoping that in between all of their fun, Chris would finally realize he got what he wanted right in front of him.

Now he remembered his wishes bitterly, the image of a flustered Chris receiving a kiss on the cheek by _Darn Luca Falls Down_ stabbing his heart with impotency.

"Fine, let's... Let's get this trophie under our arms, then." Daniel announced mercilessly. The broken shine in his eyes never changed as he slowly stood up, swaying in between his football team pals who shared pitiful looks.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

Chloe, Felicity and Cecily, after booking a table for four and ordering fruit smoothies to be done for them all after half past two, had carried Mia into _Ready To Dye's_ hair salon with a frizzy and rebellious hair. During the surprise that the girls had prepared for the blonde haired girl, Felicity had hurried over at Walmart with Chloe and Cecily had watched out for Mia, as well as Cecily and Chloe going out for new makeup. While Mia's hair was getting done, the girls continued to switch in couples and got things done: bought themselves a dress, got new accessories from jewel boutiques, bought a vinyl record for Felicity that she had been asking for...

At quarter past four, Mia's hair was lustrous and straight. When the girl proudly exited the building, the hair that flew behind her was beautifully escalated, shiny and silky. The three girls around her shrieked in excitement, hushedly asking her if she had liked her surprise when the four of them had walked out onto the street.

Mia blinked, her heart throbbing inside. _That was amazing! She had no idea what had been done to her hair, but the idea was obvious then. Now that she finally got what she so badly wanted, things seemed easier, lighter._ That treatment had been so darn long. What has they given her, exactly?

"Girls, what in the whole world have you given me? What was this? You haven't paid much, right?" Mia blurted out, placing a strand of silky hair over her shoulder, impressed. _She was so excited!_

Felicity, Chloe and Cecily shared conspirative but happy looks, looking over at Mia with fondness. _Oh my god_. Had they really paid for...?

"Oh, no! Oh, no, no, no..." Mia stumbled backwards, her shiny hair flying around her softly and god-like. She looked amazing. "I gotta give it back somehow!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Cecily clapped, Chloe swinging an arm around her. Then she looked over at them both. "Please don't. We saved up for this, and mom has been sparing me a lotta change lately. Just enjoy it, please?"

Having your three popular and beautiful friends stack change together to convert you into a silky hair goddess, was probably the best compliment Mia had ever received. She even looked at herself and felt good. Properly confident. Properly pretty. She was tired of combing her thick hair for hours and pulling and breaking it.

"Girls. You are amazing. You are..." Mia said with an incredulous tone. "I can't even thank you enough for this!"

Cecily stepped forward, placing a hand over her shoulder.

"Like the lady said, you'll need different shampoo and conditioners from half a year on. You should buy yourself one without sulfates and parabens, since our money didn't arrive to pay for it all." She winked. "Now we're at peace."

Mia bit her lip. She wasn't going to let her friends pay for it all, she was sure. Then she nodded, excitedly.

"And now... Let's go to Londie while we wait for the match to start!" Cecily announced with a happy look, dragging her friends along in between chuckles.

 _Mia followed with a way-too-wide grin_.

The second time they entered London Bridge, it was surprisingly less crowded than before. The clanking and bickering from the kitchen could be heard when you walked past the counter, in between the last minute chatter before the next shift. Mia stared amazed at the beautiful _mid-century modern_ combined with _shabby chic_ aesthetically decorated cafeteria, full of french textile sofas, vintage but modernly boudoirs, plants everywhere along with organic and vegan food stalls. It was like the healthy lifestyle dream unfolding before Mia's eyes.

Could she be a part of all of that?

The stairs that walked up to the mezzanine soon were walked up by Cecily and her two friends, who encouraged her to follow quickly. Mia smirked and strolled behing them, arriving to the upper part where a woman was typing into her Macbook and sipping from a coffee mug. Two tables to her left, a boy teenager was finishing their sub sandwich and a cup of fruit juice.

Mia exhaled, taken over by the calm atmosphere surrounding her senses, succeeding at changing her behavior into a more sedated one.

The four of them slumped over the table next to the balcony that was decorated with fairy lights and ferns, under a pair of hanging bulbs manufactured by the local store.

"I always like my drink fresh when I come here." Felicity smiled, looking over at he interior design with relaxation. "Girls, what are you having?"

Chloe checked the paper menu on the thin woodened clipboard, passing it over when she had made her way through the list. She proceeded to text someone in between smiles, gaining the rest of the girl's attention.

"Are you texting him?" Felicity asked, elevating her eyebrows suggestively.

"Well, yeah. I think it's obvious." She chuckled, before Cecily leant against her shoulder, peeking into her screen. "H-Hey, Cece!"

They both giggled, while Felicity hunched over at Mia, who was now staring at her new hairstyle with adoration and brushing her fingertips over its surface. "Oh, Mia. Try and not touch your hair too much. You want it to last, right?" She asked endeared.

Mia stopped touching her hair all of a sudden, before staring over at the fond look on Felicity's face. She then looked at her green eyes and brown hair styled in waves, showing off her curves proudly in a dress that Chloe had gifted her.

"O-Okay! I won't! I don't want to ruin your amazing gift." She stammered softly, staring over at the cherry trees that lined up the street outside, through the picture windows. "I can't thank you enough, seriously. This is bitching."

But Felicity just winked an eye towards her, melting into a sincere smile while the german and the slavic girl giggled together towards the first one's phone.

"It's okay. We just wanted you to be comfortable at last." Mia smiled croakedly. "So... What are you going to have?" She asked sweetly.

Mia darted her eyes towards the little menu placed on the centre of the table, and grabbed it swiftly. She then read the list, blinking at the wide range of variety that London Bridge had.

 _Raspberry Very_.

"Oh my god." She blinked. _That seemed delicious_. "There are so many things here."

Felicity snorted. "Of course! You can have a breakfast with porridge in the morning, an egg meal at noon, little baguettes for a snack... The first time that Chloe and Cece took me here, I was astonished." She recalled, placing a strand of hair behind her ear. Then she chuckled. "I was so surprised with the change of style of this place. I used to frequent other type of places unlike this one. Yenno, not so elegant and... Bohemian." She then laughed softly.

Mia smiled. _She looked so calm and cool_.   
Also, she was surprised at the way Felicity was so different from Chloe and Cece in so many ways. Chloe and Cece were very stylish and refined, the type of girls that would go to _You Are_ jewelry shops and buy NYX products like candy, but Felicity had been the one to humble them down a bit. It was amazing how Felicity's and Chloe's personalities had clashed at the start, and how easy they vibed then.

Getting together with people was more amazing that Mia had thought. _She felt good about having left her comfort zone_.   
_Felicity had been her lucky charm!_

"Okay, then, girls." Felicity clapped. "What are you having, besides the smoothies we ordered before?"

Chloe smiled in her direction, placing the phone down for a second. "Oh, uh, I was going to have an avocado toast with grains and honey. And Cece wants a poached egh toast. With the spicy chilli on it." She listed, earning Cecily's nodd.

"You're also called Cece?" Mia asked, curious. She then touched her hair, before having it smacked humorously by Felicity.

Giggles. _Mia closed her eyes with a smile_.

"Oh, yeah! Cece and Berry are the names that people mostly call me. Cece is Chloe's thing, though. No one really calls me that other than her." She said, pointing at Chloe with a smirk. "You better call me Berry, honey." She said with a mischevious smile. "And you can call Felicity by Liz, which is shorter and cuter."

Mia nodded, approving of the nice nicknames of her friends. Chloe, Berry and Liz. _Cute_.

"Okay, then." Felicity smiled, while typing down her friend's snack choices on her phone's _Notes_. "And I'll have the same thing as Chloe... And you, Mia? You wanted a Raspberry Very with..?" She asked peacefully.

"I want to... try out the poached egg toast. It seems kinda nice." Mia answered dreamily. She didn't want to eat something very salty or that would give her a bad breath, like cheap crisps or a salami pizza. _She really had to give up on those, she_ _innerly_ _thought_.

But those were her own prejudices.

"Mmm... Okay! Noted!" Felicity said, finishing her digital notes with a smile. Then Mia stood up.

"I'll... I'll go and take the order. I need to use the restroom anyways." She chuckled, earning the girl's confused looks.

After swift seconds, Felicity shrugged with a smile. "Okay!" She said, sending the screenshot over to Mia's email. "I sent you the list to your mail!"

Mia smiled, proud. She fiddled with the black choker on her neck, while she took off her back hoodie and tossing it over her chair. _Felicity soon started placing it correctly._ That left the blonde girl only in her jeans and long-sleeved university thin shirt, telling the girls to 'hang on a minute'.

Then she was gone, turning over her heels in direction to the stairs.

And in one second she reappeared in front of the London Bridge counter, her heart starting to pound inside her chest like it had never before.

_Wait, what?! How the fuck did she get there?!_

Then the girls over the mezzanine exploded into giggles. Mia stumbled backwards, deliberately scared. _Oh, fuck_. What the heck had just happened?! She heard the phrase " _Oh! Where's Mia?"_ in between their laughing, and some seconds later, Felicity was hovering over the balcony with her eyes, bursting into a laugh when their eyes encountered.

"Fuck! There you are!" She stammered loudly. "We lost you for a second!"

But Mia was already hyperventilating.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

_Chris. Chris and the kiss he had been placed on his cheek. He looked so beautiful even when he was hit on by someone else._

Daniel followed the ball, that was being guided by Pete. Concentration failed to enter his brain while he tried to focus on many things at the same time. Legs moving. Feet kicking. Heavy breathing. Daniel put his effort into putting his six senses into the game, and still felt like he lacked focus.

Someone passed Daniel the ball, and he kicked the ball as he moved, swaying through players as he passed onto Harry. Harry missed.

Daniel clicked his tongue, looking backwards with annoyance.

_Blonde locks. Blue eyes. His whole world tearing apart and falling down. He was slipping away._

A guy from the opposite team succeeded at stealing the ball, making Daniel and the rest of the Beavers move towards it. Daniel ran, sweat sticking to his hair and skin, trying to breathe correctly as he ran.

 _Chris_ _Eriksen_ _, the boy whom he thought would be dating somewhere in his life, finally trying to move on._

Fuck.

The whistle rang in everyone's ears when the speakers announced the breaktime. Suddenly, the players weren't running, but walking slowly and gasping for breath instead.

It was night time. People cheered and chanted from the bleachers with their banners while the players fought for their victory, now granted some minutes of rest.

Suddenly Pete, who had come running towards him, grabbed him by the shoulders as the rest joined slowly.

"Dude! What are you doing, man?" Pete asked with a red face from running and yelling. He looked tired.

"I'm... I'm sorry, man." Daniel said, denying with his head. Then he brushed his face with his hands. "I'm spacing out every fucking time."

"You're out of focus, man!" Harry exclaimed as he came closer. "You gotta buckle up a bit, don't you think?"

"I know, I know guys. I'm sorry." Daniel said with a sad expression.

The rest of the guys stared at him with a pitiful expression, some of them patting him in the back trying to lift his spirits. Without success. Daniel remembered them he was okay.

Suddenly Aaron grabbed him tighter by the shoulders and hit him in the cheek strongly enough to catch his attention and make him look into Aaron's fierceful eyes.

"Dude. Fuck Chris now. He ain't got nothing to do with you right now. This is about the Beavers. We are your friends now, right? Right?!" Aaron practically yelled that last question.

Daniel nodded frantically. The rest of the guys watched worried.

"Daniel, we are your friends, and we are motherfucking winning this crap! Together, yeah?!" He asked.

Daniel nodded again. He got hit on the cheek by Aaron again, who watched his brown haired friend buckle up a bit.

"Who cares who's he dating or not now? It's not our business right now. It's the match or we go home, man." He said with pride and force.

"Yeah, I know, man." Daniel widened his eyes a bit more.

"Dude, we got you. We got you, man." Aaron said, pushing a fist against Daniel's chest. "Don't fucking space out now. We fucking need you!"

Daniel nodded frantically again. Jensen and Harry shared worried looks, as well as the rest.

"Yeah man, we got you covered too."

"We are one team, man. If one fails, the team doesn't work." Craig said. "But like I said, we are a team and we got you covered. Fuck Chris now."

Daniel looked at them all, nodding slowly. He tried to find a meaning to everything that Aaron and the guys were telling him, finding some truth in their words. Yeah. Of course they were friends.

They were _always_ going to be that.

"I guess I only got you guys now. Not as bad as I thought." He finally chuckled.

Aaron hit him on the shoulder, reassuring him. "Yeah, right?"

"Yeah." Daniel replied, a brighter shine in his eyes now.

"Damn! Fuck yeah!" Aaron exclaimed, proud. He gathered the rest. "Daniel's a motherfucking piece of something, isn't he?"

"Man, you got this." Craig said.

"We won many times before." Harry continued.

"Exactly." Pete added.

Daniel looked downwards, accepting his little new fate. He then elevated his face, sweaty and hot from running, a different shine in his eyes now. _He counted on his friends_.

"Guys, you're the men." He chuckled.

Then Aaron, Craig, Pete, Harry and Jensen, a little more happy now, crowded around the Diaz boy to press against and suffocate him with their energy, passing on some of their hype to Daniel, who was starting to giggle and hit them.

_•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°_

Pete Valley jogged fastly towards the centre, where the football match was about to continue. His breath quickened a bit, staring over at the roaring crowd with a smile. His beloved and dedicated classmates were such dorks to hype a simple football match up that much. _He kind of appreciated it, though_.

Daniel's mood drop earlier had worried him. Pete knew that his extroverted and sociable friend wasn't the type to overthink stuff, so if he was dwelling over it it definitely meant much to the boy with the purple streak. He had no idea of who Chris was and why he had made Daniel's heart break into miserable and tiny little pieces, since he had listened to Aaron's and Daniel's conversation pretty late, but if he ever got hold of that crackhead, he'd have a talk with him.

 _No messing with Danny_.

He felt bad that he didn't know very well how to help the kid on his torn love life, but as amazing as Daniel was, he'd eventually sort things out. He was sure. And if he struggled to do so, he'd eventually talk with Aaron and arrange something. If there was something they were good at like football, it was plotting out crazy ideas.

 _They weren't the class clowns for no reason_.

The students kept shrieking and screaming and blowing into horns, holding up signs and sparklers. They definitely made playing football even better; they almost could imagine that they were running around in Soldier Field like superstars, throwing their hands up in the air and living the American dream.   
Pete eternally thanked his friends for making that possible; _it was amazing_.

His heart throbbed happily inside his chest now, hurrying over through the green grass painted white on some zones to mark the football field. It had been sprinkled with water recently, making it kind of hard to dash around. Pete jogged then, staring over at the first row and waving his hand with a shy grin that he fought to hold back. 

_Screams_.

People still ordered some food, making delivery staff climb up and down the bleacher's stairs frenetically. Pete, Aaron, Craig, Jensen, Harry and Daniel reunited, soon forming a crowd with their arms, intertwining them together while looking towards the ground.

Their faces stuck together then, recomposed after the little break but with dry sweat stains sticking to their skin.

"Who are we?!" Pete Valley shrieked. "I said, WHO ARE WE?!?!"

Then his group of pumped up and hyped friends screamed after him. "THE BEAVERS."

Pete Valley smacked Harry's neck then. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU." He yelled back, shaking their arms.

"THE BEAVERS SLAYING!" They replied in unison. The bleachers soon started to chant their rythms after hearing this, echoing their names through the crowd. _Chris blinked with enthusiasm in a certain point of it, sitting down with Luca on a special spot between screaming spectators. He then tilted his head towards the scene, looking over at the friend whom he believed had ghosted him for a group of screaming and generally intense athletics_. _Yeah. Totally_. _Daniel looked as concentrated and breathless as he always was when he dedicated his time to football, making Chris wonder if he'd ever ring his door again with a bag of chicken bits and french fries and ask with a smile if he'd be up for movie marathons. Random Saturday nights worked like that_.

 _But probably not anymore_.

"I WANNA SEE YOU SLAYING!!" Pete Valley shrieked into the circle they had formed, making them separate with abrupt but paced movements. 

Then they were walking towards their strategic points, adopting dynamic poses as they waited for the whistle to resonate through the field. Their hearts throbbed inside their chest as the opposite team also joined them, spreading across the opposite field half.   
_Thud. Thud. Thud_. The Jaguars and The Beavers had the same points, but The Jaguars had a lot more potential, and no depressed players over their crush. _Thud. Thud. Thud_. It was now or never.

 _Thud_.

Now.

 _Thud_.

Or never.

 _Thud_.

" _RAAAAAAAAWR_ _!!!_ " Was the only thing that resonated through the field when the coach was about to blow in his whistle.

The crowd emmitted different types of yells now, ones more surprised than the others. What had that been? A cougar? A wolf? It could never have been a wolf. A coyote? Pete's mind raced, something baking in the middle of his throat as he heard the crowd daunting before him.

_Oh, fuck._

_Not the animal sounds again. Not in middle of the fucking match._

The animal call startled them all, who soon started letting out a collective and terrified scream. Mia, Chloe, Liz and Berry held onto each other, scared, while they slowly stood up to check their surroundings. Chris's eyes weakened, holding onto Luca who had elevated their look quickly like an owl, his eyes widening into realization. The blonde boy blinked in their direction, his heart soon out of rate. Well, like everyone else's. Students muttered and cried, yelling out different things into the air.

Pete's breath quickened.

 _Oh no_.

He knew what was happening. And he didn't like it.

 _Not again, please. I don't know how to control it_.

 _Please_.

After some minutes, teachers went out in a short group to check the field surroundings, calling animal security straight away. They yelled stuff to each other, while students remained scared in their seats and unable to move by petition of the voice screaming into the white and red megaphone. Pete Valley closed their mouth, covering their lips frenetically and with a busted expression. _What had happened? How did he manage to just do that in public?_

"Pete, come here, dude." Aaron called him over, swinging an arm around his neck before pulling him closer to the rest of the team. The redhead felt himself be tugged along with the rest while his body weakened, confused, wondering how things had turned out that way for him when he was just supposed to act like he had always been. He nodded, clutching onto Aaron in a confused way.

Then the paws were running on the side of the field. Their ears flickered to the sides, hearing. Their tail wagged from left to right, tense, while their eyes scanned everything with a determined expression. After some minutes of walking, the majestic and male cougar stopped in their tracks before the football net, adopting a dynamic position.

Aaron, Daniel, Harry and company turned towards the animal, petrifying in their places with frozen looks. Since when did animals come around there? It wasn't normal. That couldn't be. They all walked closer to where the rest had crowded, for mutual comfort and survival group instincts. 

But Pete was just as calm as always, staring at the animal sedately.

"There! There's the cougar!" Yelled a teacher. The crowd emitted screams and despair, debating whether to stand up against the teacher's will or not.

_But the cougar was staring profoundly at Pete's face._

Its animal eyes, locking with the redhead's as if they knew each other from another life, as if they were joined by something somehow. Like the wolves were glued to their leader. As if they... As if they were from the same pack. Pete stared back, blinking softly in their direction, speaking to him without words, without violence.

 _Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud_.

As if nothing had ever been simpler, the cougar stretched its paws and shook their body off. They let out a deep groan and waved their tail more calm now, wagging it from side to side as it left from where it came. When the cougar turned their face to stare back again, Pete was observing him profoundly. Then they turned their head and kept on running away from the little human civilisation.

"Don't let them go!" The teacher shrieked, making Pete furrow their eyebrows. They turned around, their eyes soon adopting a stranger form as the black gem inside of them narrowed. Like a cat when it eyed its preys. Pete left the little crowd that his friends had formed and over where that teacher had stood, stopping a few metres away.

The redhead concentrated on the teacher's body, eyeing the crowd that was busy loosing their shit while the guys called Pete over. The boy proceeded to stare at the teacher with hooded eyes, disliking the way they were behaving menacingly towards a companion of his. _The cougar wasn't someone to be messed around with_. And less if Pete was there.

Suddenly the redhead blinked, aware of what they had just done. They stumbled a bit backwards, before staring over at his friends, looking over at the teacher for the last time before hurrying over to Aaron and his friends.

After ten more minutes, the teachers had come back with empty hands from following the animal, a tired expression all over their faces and a mad teacher that yelled the resume of the football match in between breath gasps. The crowd protested, but eventually sat down after the general chat and protest. _What had just happened?_

Pete Valley covered their face with their hands, soon travelling up to his hair which he pushed back tired, and relieved at the same time.

_Thud._

_Thud._

_Thud_.

_•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°_

(Cake by the Ocean - **DNCE** )

Pass the ball. Run. Watch the players. Run past opponents. Steal the ball. Kick it with your head.

Daniel ran, breath almost stuck in his throat as he jolted towards where his companions were messing with the ball, dodging the opposite team players. A guy from that team managed to steal the ball, making the Beavers ten times as determined.

Concentrate. Drive the ball to the goal post. Score. Score. Score.

Those were some of the many quick ideas that crossed Daniel's mind while he dashed like crazy, sharing quick and determined glances with his team companions and watched the ball.

The opposite team were trying to mark a goal, but then Craig managed to skillfully steal the ball, passing it over to Pete. From Pete it passed over to Harry. Then Jensen.

"Yo!" He yelled. _It was Daniel's turn now_.

Chris was observing from the bleachers, with a concentrated expression, how Daniel received the ball and started dashing north, and bit his nail.

He got this. Come on.

Adrenaline filled his body as he received the ball, starting to run towards the goal a little more, scanning the situation with his eyes, having two or three opponents coming after him. Sway left, right. Aaron was in front of him, following the goal rules to mark a goal.

His legs gained potential and finally kicked the ball in the perfect angle, without a chance for the opponents to successfully steal the ball and landing on Aaron's head, who kicked it with greatness and directed it right into the goal net.

Score. The crowd went crazy. Half of it exploded into cheers, clapping and yelling. The Beavers. It was the Beaver's final goal.

Chris stood up from his seat, clapping with enthusiasm. His bright smile appeared, infinitely happy for his best friend. At his side, Luca observed him with a crooked smile, hand on his chin and nodding his head.

"The man owned it." Luca said.

"I just knew he would make it!" Chris exclaimed. Then he smiled. "I'm so relieved." He said, finally closing his eyes with a grin. That's all he had wanted to see before leaving the high school building with Luca: see his best friend win something, if it was for himself at least. He liked to see him happy even though they had ghosted each other, even though they weren't the same anymore.

Which meant... They had won the match.

Daniel dashed over to Aaron, who was being received by Harry. When he arrived, both observed Aaron punch the hell out of a static plastic flag with enthusiasm. _Damn yeah_.

Daniel and Harry, soon followed by the rest, hurried over to pat his back, ruffle his hair (like Daniel) or bump their foreheads.

 _He hoped Chris would be there to hype over as much_.

The fanatics that were standing closer to the field extended their hands, inviting them to high-five them. Daniel panted, overcame by the adrenaline and the game, but exhaled quickly and came close to high-five them all.

Sasha from drama club, an acquaintance from Chris. Layla, Kylie, Caroline and a guy named Rufus were the ones to receive their high-five as requested. He winked at them collectively and made sure to look at them in the eyes, making them a part of the victory. Then he encouraged them to hype over Aaron, forming fists and shaking them in the air.

Then someone did it. He didn't know whether it was Craig, Pete, Harry or anyone else, even a fan from the crowd, but someone poured all of their water bottle content onto Daniel, who soon whipped away the liquid from his hair, his whole fit body soaking in water.

Chris stared at that concrete moment happening below him, involving Daniel and two fucking litres of _take-my-fucking-breath_ already. Damn. His whole body walked along the field, his hair and chest soaking with water, a glimmering shine in his eyes making everyone in the damn place fall for that image.

Including his own sake.

Luca grabbed him by the wrist, making him sit down. His eyes shined with an undecipherable shimmer, staring over at the brown-haired boy too, who was soaking in water.

The crowd cheered even more, many girls and boys shrieking with fanatism. His hair dripped and his face was satisfied, bringing another victory for the team even though he had been struggling with Chris's realization. He owned it. He looked at the hyped up and yelling crowd, exhaling with satisfaction. Nevertheless, while he was busy scanning the crowd for more enthusiastic faces, he saw it.

He saw _them_.

Chris Eriksen and Luca Falls, sharing a sandwich together, acting like the final goal hadn't happened. Sharing their very own world, smiling in their very own way. Chris looked apart for a moment, in the field's direction, but was drawn close to Luca's face by his hands. _Then they kissed_.

Ouch.

Daniel's smile dropped. He frowned, once, watching with a heavy heart how Luca kissed Chris in a slow and delicate way, making the blonde boy forget what he was doing before.

His soul turned a grayer colour now, his eyes fixed on the way Chris was slowly turning away from him. He would definitely cancel the sleepover now; he could already hear Chris coming close with a new ironic and happy tone, asking to cancel before apologising in a heart-stabbing way, and leaving. Forever.

 _That was it? That was the end of them?_ The crowd cheered, frenetically, bringing Aaron's, Craig's, Jensen's, Pete's and Harry's self-esteem to the sky. The Beavers had won the match, making people resonate their horns and cheer like they never had. Chants started swimming through the crowd, and the trainers yelled emotive exclamations into their microphones. Soon enough, a Mariah Carey Christmas song emanated from the huge speakers, making the huge crowd cheer even higher. Some people started to sing-along. Others took photos. The people who already had Christmas accessories on their head hyped up, as well as the students who didn't. When the chorus of the song played, an excited voice resonated through the speakers and a snow machine made its magic, provoking a fake snowfall glitter over everyone's heads. It was like a movie.   
A movie that played in slow motion, capturing everyone's mood and emotions.

_I just want you for my own_

_More than you could ever know_

_Make my wish come true_

_Baby all I want for Christmas, is you_

The world seemed to be dancing on cloud nine, partying and sharing the general festive vibe while Daniel remained, wondering, why he had touched rock bottom after winning the biggest and most expected Christmas football match, heartbreakingly, while staring with a lost expression at a concrete point of the crowd.

"Dude, congrats." Aaron chuckled while coming closer. A few guys followed him towards Daniel.

Suddenly he lost his smile, and the rest stopped in their tracks. The crowd wasn't paying attention to them anymore. It was a fair trade: they gave them a reason to hype over a football match, and they felt like winners. Well, most of them.

"Dude." He frowned.

Daniel stared at them all with tears in his eyes, unable to keep up with all of the hype. He was at the verge of breaking. "I'm... I'm sorry, guys." He said with a broke voice, sniffling softly.

Then he walked past them all, wiping a tear away with the back of his hand, feeling like he had lost everything he wanted when he was supposed to feel euphoric and happy.

_Well, just supposed to._


	5. Changing plans

People slowly started standing up from their places, packing up their food and bags while others chose to stay, still not lowering the crowd population as the enthusiasm and fanatism still clutched to the bleachers.

Chris and Luca were making their way towards the field, from the seat they had remained in. The black haired smoker boy followed the blonde with impatience, wondering what he was going to do then. "Hey, Chris. Where are you going."

Chris turned around, as happy as ever. His glowing blue eyes stared at him, a happy stare clashing against an insecure one, as he pointed behind him.

"I just... I just want to go and congratulate my best friend in person. You know, Daniel?"

Luca blinked. He slowly cocked his head to the side, where he finally managed to divise a sad player hovering on a bench, brown hair and brown eyes staring at the ground with mournfulness.

His heart ached.

"Well, you sure? I think he must be kind of busy right now, yenno. Preparing for the annual after-party or stuff." Luca quickly said, hoping the blonde guy would finally drop it off.

Chris suddenly widened eyes, staring behind him quickly.

"Wait, there's an after-party?" He asked, surprised.

Luca widened his own, acting surprised.

"Wait... You didn't know? Everyone's tweeted about it." Luca quickly said. He stared at Chris, expectant.

"Wait... But... I didn't know. That's impossible." Chris added, staring towards the field, confused. "Daniel was supposed to come with... me."

Luca blinked, ignorantly. Then he fished out his phone and opened Craig's twitter, and showed Chris, who let out a soft " _That_ _motherfucker_."

"I... Fuck. I didn't know you were ignorant about the party. I'm sorry." _He was_. Luca said, staring melancholically towards the field. Then he stared towards Chris. "You still want to go and say hi? I mean, I would. He's your friend Daniel, right?" He ended with a grimace. _Fuck_.

Chris stared at him with a frowned expression, for some seconds. Luca's heart went faster, pounding inside, before the blonde boy finally melted into a sad face.

"Nope. Let's go, they're probably busy anyways." Chris finally decided, walking past him towards the exit. His body walked slowly and sadly away, hands in their pockets and their head down.

Luca, instead, stared towards the field, searching for Daniel Diaz in the crowd. When he finally found him in between the players that were shaking hands and patting backs, the figure slowly turned their head up and met him, their stare melting into recognition.

Daniel had fire in his eyes.

Luca gulped, slowly. He stared with an undecipherable expression towards the football player, who stared back at him with a frowning expression, and made a grimace. Lastly, he put a thumbs up, congratulating him on Chris's behalf. _Trying his best not to break_.

Silence.

Chris was walking melancholically towards the place where many spectators were starting to crowd to exit the football field. He swayed past an excited girl that wore heart-shaped sunglasses and a Christmas hat, and a couple that were munching on a candy floss in between indistinct chatter, both in opposite ways.

He found himself surprised at the way that things changed in life. Him and Daniel drifting apart? That never would've been imaginable two years ago. They would finish school on a Friday afternoon and go stay at their place for the weekend. They would play games. Talk. Big, great and awesome talks. They would cook together, even if the food flavour didn't pay off. They would sleep together, even if they didn't get enough rest. They would study together, even though they didn't end up getting perfect grades.

But... Maybe it was the way it was meant to be. What did he expect? That Daniel would patiently wait until he won a really popular football match before coming over to pick him up for a sleepover? Of course not. He had been busy with his friends all week, and probably would go to party at someone's house to get wasted. He didn't even remember to eat lunch with him before. He was just... gone. The memories of an innocent and heartbroken Daniel clutching to their friendship years ago, slowly faded away and broke in chunks, to become the loved and popular student at Beaver Creek High School that maybe could've realized that he had everything he wanted next door.

It was late for that, anyways.

Maybe it was something that he would have to start to accept. Life was bitter. Things change, people change. Daniel changed. He didn't like it, and he even hated it, but it was the way it was. To his luck, Luca was there to help him in his mournfulness. He could be someone. _Someone special, in some time._

"Daniel."

Daniel suddenly looked upwards from his trance, encountering Aaron with his warm and caring smile. It was typical of him; taking care of others with that expression of his, after all, he had a little sister he loved and cherished. Daniel was soon pulled up to his feet by Aaron's hand, who dragged him behind him.

Then they came closer to the gang, where Harry and Craig were goofing around with a horn and Christmas-themed oversized glasses. As soon as they came closer, Jensen walked over to Daniel.

"You feeling better, man? I'm so sorry." Jensen asked with a soothing voice.

"It's okay, J. Don't worry about me. Really." Daniel replied with a crooked smile. "I'll get over it."

"Right man, that's the spirit." Jensen said, patting his back and low-key hitting him with his feet. Daniel laughed, almost fighting back.

The duet of girls named Amanda and Chloe were talking to Pete, Harry and Craig on the net, chatting excitedly and sharing laughs. One of the girls soon joined them, who wore heart-shaped sunglasses and was called Gwenyth.

"Yo, guys. Where do we bust now?" Aaron asked, crossing his arms and talking to Craig, who was soon joined by everyone else. Amanda was sipping on her cocktail, staring with curiosity.

The guys looked in between themselves, confused.

"Dude. We thought we were partying at your place." Craig said worriedly after staring at the rest.

Aaron lifted an eyebrow, looking towards the rest. Then he fell into realisation. Fuck.

"What the fuck..." Aaron groaned, burying his face in his hands. Pete clicked his tongue and Daniel widened his eyes, confused.

"Dude! You said you got this?" Craig asked, even more pissed.

"I thought you meant tomorrow? My parents fly to France on the twenty-second, not the first?!" Aaron shrieked louder.

Aaron, Craig, Pete, Jensen, Harry and Daniel stared at each other with frozen looks, silent. They they exploded into groans. Amanda, Gwenyth and Chloe stared at each other, with wide eyes.

"Guys, you boycotted the party." Gwenyth intruded into the conversation. "No fun." Amanda joined her, pouting.

Aaron stared towards her, then looking at the rest. "Oh, no, no, no. No way, guys. You should have something else. Somewhere."

The guys shared the same lost looks. Daniel grunted a bad word, hitting a candy that was lying close.

"Guys! What the fuck?" Aaron cursed. "There's no way you guys didn't have a second plan? It's fucking Christmas?!" He kept yelling.

Silence. Suddenly the guys all crowded around Aaron to hit him and shake him playfully, exclaiming bad words and ruffling his hair.

"Aaron, we hate you." Pete chuckled, brushing his eyes with his fingers.

"Dude, how could you let this happen... What are we even supposed to do now?" Harry groaned. 

"Chill your motherfucking asses next to the fire, man." Aaron mocked. "If you fuck too much you won't be able to save anything up for Christmas."

The gang exploded into laughs and groans. Daniel slapped him across the cheek once, smiling.

"Dude, you fucker!" Daniel groaned.

"Yeah!" Craig added. "How are we going to cheer up his moody ass now?" He said, pointing towards Daniel. Suddenly, everyone looked at him.

Daniel shrugged.

"Don't look at me." Denying his head.

The gang continued to share groans while the girls thought about what to do.

"You up for clubs and drinks, if there's nothing left to do?" Gwenyth asked, sipping from Amanda's cocktail. She then flipped her hair.

"I dunno, Gwenyth. I don't think the guys are gonna enjoy it as much as a private party." Aaron answered worriedly, staring at her. "I'm not sure it will do."

"I tried." She said, when Amanda and Chloe stared at her. She sipped again.

"OH GUYS." Pete yelled out of the blue. He suddenly formed a little crowd with the guys. "Guys, guys, listen!"

Daniel and the rest joined, inviting Gwenyth and her two friends over.

"Why don't we do a little baddie tonight." Pete asked. The guys shared confused but fun looks, as they all listened closely. "Why don't we ask someone skinny here, yenno, one of the girls or something to get the keys of the gym. And then we wait. Until the teachers are gone." He said.

Daniel looked towards Gwenyth, who thought about the situation. She then glared over at Amanda. She pulled a confused grimace.

But the rest of the guys stared at each other with too wide eyes and a startled expression. Even Daniel forgot about his dramatic experience from twenty minutes ago to listen.

"Pete, are you out of your fucking mind? My mother's a member of this school?" Craig whispered loudly.

"So what? Be careful then." Pete shrugged. "This could be nuts. A lifetime experience. We'll remember this when we get old." He insisted.

Daniel widened his eyes along with Harry instead. "You sure of this, man?"

"I'm not... Sure?" Harry replied.

Nevertheless, they kept staring at Pete, who at least had some answers.

"Guys. Come on. Buckle up buttercups." Gwenyth said. "At least he has an option."

"A crazy one." Aaron corrected her.

"A crazy only option." She mocked him.

"Oh, shut up. Remember how bad I ended up last time I tried crazy." Jensen interrupted her.

"That's because you're a pussy who doesn't know how to drink." Gwenyth rolled her eyes in a fun way. The girls giggled and hit Jensen playfully, who faked a stab in his heart.

"So, what's your plan?" Aaron said, looking over at Pete, who already wore a smirk. Then he called over the bunch of students who still hung around close to them, and gathered the biggest crowd they could make to talk about the secret plan, formed by fifteen to twenty students, including themselves eight.

"We grab someone skinny from this group, and we go over to the office where the keys are displayed. We play _watch dogs_ a bit and making sure no one comes around, and then we slip the keys into our trousers and wait for the night to come... And then we bust the school. We make a fucking party in the gym. Guys. We're gonna remember this for a long time." Pete explained, earning surprised exclamations from students. "I'm gonna do votes. Be fair. Who's up for doing baddie tonight?"

Everyone lifted their arms up, even despite themselves and the fear of getting busted by teachers.

Daniel watched his friends, thinking that they were crazy. Were they really going to do this? Gwenyth and her friend's looks told him they were serious too. The students around them, well... They were already offering help.

"Okay, okay..." Aaron said. "But... Who's going to grab the keys, again?"

Pete looked at them all with a smirk, staring at his friends, Gwenyth and company, his classmates, turning around both sides, before staring at Daniel, nodding in his direction.

But Daniel pointed at himself, confused.

Then Pete nodded with his head in opposite direction, towards the place where everyone was exiting the field. Daniel looked at the exit, confused.

"We're using Chris Eriksen."

Then he winked at Daniel, before hitting him on the chest with his fist, under his sudden surprised expression, and separated from the group to go and find him.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

Suddenly, Chris was stopped in his tracks by a stranger. Chris shifted surprisedly and elevated the lost look in his eyes to encounter with a guy that wore red hair, a football shirt, a tired and excited expression on his face and sticky, sweaty hair.

"Pete?"

A member from the football team. Which meant the same team Daniel was part of that night, a guy that probably knew more about his best friend than himself, and shared way more unforgettable experiences together. _Did he know him?_

"Uh... Hi?" He asked softly. Then he glared over at Luca, who was calmly staring at someone. Pete, instead, smiled in a friendly way for him and saluted.

"Hi. I'm Pete." He beamed, quickly waving his hand, sure of what he was doing. He looked so confident and sociable, Chris observed.

"Oh, Pete, yeah. I think I know you." Chris replied, holding his other arm with shyness. "Er... I'm Chris. Can I... Help you?" He asked politely, aiming his calm blue eyes at him.

 _He looked so delicate and harmless_.

Pete stared at the boy from head to toes, thinking about what could possibly be Daniel's type. _What a shy kid_. They were best friends, Daniel had said. But looking closely... Had his heart really broken for such a fragile and sweet-looking kid? Something was definitely off here.

Pete softly and deliberately corresponded that gesture.

"Oh, uh... Well. It's kind of hard to explain, but I think I need to talk to you. Serious stuff." He smirked, ever so confidently.

"What about?" Chris asked, surprised for the sudden attention. He stopped holding his arm, and clutched to his backpack straps.

Pete smiled, proud for grasping his attention. _Under the spotlight, he looked like a superstar with that smile, looks and charisma,_ Chris thought. But it wasn't something sexual; it was pure and innocent admiration.

"Well, it's a secret mission. If you let me explain, of course." Pete winked at him. "No pressure, I promise." The redhead said. His smile was genuine and his vibe was really positive. Everything about him screamed "fun" and "laughs", definitely someone he'd keep as a friend; he really understood in that moment why Daniel was friends with him.

Chris's inner child clapped and squeaked with joy, eager to find out what the mission was about. In real life, he just widened his eyes. He beamed softly, looking up towards Pete nicely.

"N-No... It's not any pressure. I was just... I'm leaving with a friend now, and I didn't think you guys would need me..." Chris's voice stammered, pointing behind Pete, where Luca stood with a curious look. _There was something else in his eyes,_ Pete thought. He didn't know what though.

"Oh, is Luca Falls who you're leaving with? I thought you had a sleepover with Daniel?" Pete asked, knowing what to do to flip things over.

 _Please, make it work,_ Pete thought.

"Wait... What?" Chris widened his eyes, surprised.

"What?" Pete asked, fighting a smile back. Glitter shined in his eyes as he stared at him, curious.

"Wait... I thought Daniel was joining you guys for a party. I thought he _bailed_ on me." Chris quickly said.

 _Fuck yeah._ Pete patted himself on the back mentally, scribbling "Pete 1 - Chris 0" on a mental note.

"Uh... Well, I dunno if he's coming over or not, because it seems like he is, but he did mention something about having to go home earlier. He had arranged something with a friend." Pete said, making a thoughtful grimace. "Was that you?"

"Uh... Probably." Chris answered, widening his eyes. Then he beamed, looking at Pete again. "Did... Did he say anything about me?" He asked carefully, a familiar heart pace already threatening him with sweating.

Really? _What did he not say_ , Pete thought. These two needed a good talk.

"Actually, yeah!" He grinned, pushing his hair back. _Whoa_ , Chris thought. "He actually wondered where you were, and went out to look for you when we scored. The last time. Then he didn't find you, and got a little sad. He's okay now, though." Pete summarized. Chris melted into a wide smile, biting his lip softly. _Yes!_ The redhead exclaimed mentally. Then he pointed behind him, in direction to Daniel, who wasn't yet visible. "Do you... Do you want to go and say hi to him now?"

Chris directed his bright smile at him. Pete beamed back, understanding why Daniel had crushed on someone like him. _He was nice and cool._ Definitely a type of friend he'd have.

"Yeah! Of course. I want to congratulate him. I haven't talked to him since... Well. Since what happened in last period." Chris grinned, holding onto his backpack straps to follow Pete.

Pete chuckled, and melted into soft giggles. "We are sorry. We were just joking around. Seriously." He finished, before looking at Chris deeply. The blonde boy's blue eyes lighted a bit up, finishing with a soft " _don't worry_ ".

They hadn't taken four steps before Luca came into view. He proceeded to grab Chris softly and aimed his confused look at him.

"Wait... What's up?" Luca asked, worried. Pete stopped in his tracks, frowning.

Suddenly Chris lit up.

"Oh, you know the party thing? He didn't forget about me, I was just being dramatic before." He said in a happy voice, placing a strand of his blonde soft hair behind his ear. Then he looked over at Pete, who melted into a smile, like him. "This is Pete, here. He's a friend of Daniel's." He informed. "He's cool, don't worry."

Pete nodded, to which Chris winked an eye at him. The redhead chuckled and lowered his head for a moment.

Pete and Luca shared mutual recognition and awkward stares, whispering a soft "Yo" to each other. _Chris wondered if they knew each other_.

"Oh, uh... You sure?" He asked, insecure. "You kinda didn't feel good earlier. I'm worried."

Pete elevated an eyebrow at the situation, slowly crossing his arms and staring at the black-haired boy suspiciously.

"What? Of course! I'll be just in and out, I'm totally okay now. Turns out it was just a misunderstanding." Chris chuckled, happy. "You come?"

Pete looked closely at the situation, slowly narrowing his eyes. _Was it? Really?_ He remembered the depressed look in Daniel's eyes earlier in the field, back when he was talking with Aaron, comparing it to Chris's when he had found him. _They were the same_.

"Oh, uh, er... No. It's okay." He replied, an uncomfortable look spreading across his face, that he tried to hide under tiredness. "I'll just wait for you here." He said, scratching the back of his neck. 

_Bingo_ , Pete thought. Then he came closer to Chris, to who he directed a softer look. _A softer stare_.

"Daniel would totally space out during the party, if you didn't come now. Just saying." Pete told him with a warm voice, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be just in and out, right?" He finished with a smile.

Chris looked to both sides, before looking up to Pete's smile. He nodded, grabbing Luca's hands softly.

"I'll be right back. You wait for me outside?" He asked with a soft voice.

Pete suddenly had an idea. He smirked, before coming close to them and talking to the bitter guy.

"Actually, you're invited too, Falls." Pete said. "We weren't sure you'd want to come along, but then the Chris thing came up... So, yenno."

"Wait, a task, or something?" Luca said, frowning again.

Chris then looked towards Pete. "I'm sorry, he's not... That much into sports."

"Oh, don't worry." Pete chuckled in a carefree way. "This isn't about sports." He smiled, biting his lip towards Chris, who beamed back.

"Really? What's it about, then?" He asked with the same smile.

Pete answered after beaming towards the blonde one, watching the hopeless look in Luca's eyes for a second.

"We're doing baddie tonight. And everyone in class is up for it." He answered, winking at Chris. "Daniel agreed for you to be our special star card."

Chris blinked, amazed. "Me?"

"Of course, you. Who else?" Pete chuckled, grabbing Chris by his wrist.

Luca followed, reluctantly.

A few metres away from them, students gathered around Aaron and his gang to listen up closely to the football team leader. They all batted their eyes with curiosity, waiting for his next words. Around them, teachers and trainers were either talking to parents, students or packing up speakers and little stands.

The night had taken over the sky now, the cold hitting everyone like a sharp knife. Even the football players pulled their sleeves to the top, trying to protect themselves from the cold, at the same time that students already threw coats over their shoulders and scarfs around their neck.

"Yeah." Aaron answered, leaning against the goal post and crossing his arms. "And then they grabbed the motorcycle and took the right side. That was the last time I saw them."

The crowd wowed, amazed. Craig was munching on a candy bar, nodding amusedly while Harry rolled eyes.

"I've heard this one before..." He groaned, packing his sports bag to get ready to leave. The rest of the guys were done with their stuff, as well as the trainers and staff, who were busy packing up the things of the field. The bleachers were slowly starting to loose people, the exit being the main attraction now.

Daniel, Craig, Harry, Jensen along with Gwenyth, her friends and the rest of the students were hearing a story about how Aaron met someone that saved their life at a party. Aaron had been at the verge of death, almost accidentally pushed over a balcony when he was saved by the hand of a pizza delivery man. He almost felt himself faint at the moment of the accident, when he was gripped on his wrist by that man. He had officially crowned him a hero after that, receiving a collective cheer from the party attendants and invited him over for a slice of pizza and a coke at his party.

"Dang it, man. You're a survivor." Said Felicity, Cecily's friend.

"I could fucking see it." Aaron said, pointing up towards the sky. "It was there, in front of my eyes."

"See what?" Asked Cecily, a student from science club.

"The light. I don't know. Yenno when you're standing in between life and death, there's this trance where you see a light and shit. The other side." Aaron said with a slow and amazing tone. "I fucking spaced out for two seconds. I swear, guys, it's real. Don't ever come close to the light, it's so fucked-up."

The students kept surprising themselves, sharing exclamations while Craig and Harry snorted quietly.   
Daniel was biting his black nails while he stared towards the field exit, feeling somewhat nervous.

 _He could already picture Pete returning alone_.

_Or coming back with that famous and uninvited Luca Falls strolling behind._


	6. Fire in our eyes

"Okay, here's the thing." Pete said, gathering them all close to a pair of teachers that were guarding the building, almost hanging around in the darkness. Everyone listened closely, arranging their backpacks or shushing. "We go and sneak on the left while some of us distract the teachers. The second task is the most important one, guys."

Students nodded around them, including Chris.

"I... I can volunteer." Mia said, lifting her index finger. Others agreed.

Pete instead, denied their head.

"No." He said, pulling backwards, walking closely to where Luca was standing, glued to the blonde boy like he didn't have a life. Then he pushed them apart distinctly by grabbing Luca by the wrist. "This is exactly the reason why we need you, man. You do the psycho shit for us. The key of this mission." He announced proudly. "Weren't you _so_ into psychology?"

Luca frowned. The rest agreed and exclaimed instead, excited to follow Pete's proposal. A few students whispered hyped up comments, eager to use Luca as the bait. The redhead elevated an eyebrow, triumphant, towards the black haired smoker boy who suddenly seemed annoyed.

Figure which stuck again closer to Chris. "You gonna be fine, sweetie?" He cooed. The brown haired boy with a purple streak, that was standing with crossed arms in between Aaron and Craig, suddenly looked hurt. Then his eyes darkened.

If glances could kill, Daniel and Luca's fight would be pretty bitching. _Also, with unfair advantage._

Pete wasn't buying it.

"Chris is gonna be fine. He's not a baby anymore." Pete said with a hint of fun in his voice. "Right, Chris? You're the man!" He exclaimed, pointing a finger at him and gifting him the self-esteem he needed.

Daniel observed the situation with a pounding heart inside his chest. He proceeded to bite his nail nervously, observing how Chris debated in between Pete and Luca, a weak glare exposed in his eyes. _Chris was feeling insecure_.

"Well, we better let him decide if, for the last time..." Luca started, crossing his arms and looking into Chris's eyes. "...Prefers to stay here risking a month or two of detention with a bunch of teens who wanna get wasted, or prefers to go home and be what he really is." Luca started in a brave voice. Chris looked at his eyes deeply.

Daniel's heart broke. His eyes fixed on Chris's face, hoping he would look in his direction. _At least once_. He wanted for Chris to stay, to look at him in the eyes and join him that night. He wanted to go and ask him out for a stupid dance and forget everything else, get drunk or wasted or watch the fucking world end or just walk him home in comfortable silence.

He had never wanted something so badly before.

Pete was feeling the familiar itch of his balls rise up, but with impatience towards the black-haired boy. He proceeded to grab him by the wrist and talk fastly.

"Well, sorry to fail you, _amigo_. But he wants to stay, he even told you that he wanted to salute his best friend. You should know what having a best friend means, right? If you have one." He said, sarcastically. "And now quit the psychic bullshit since we had the decency to invite you over too and help us, crackhead." Pete pushed him towards the teacher and grimaced dramatically when Luca turned, insecure and confused. Then he pushed a couple of students together with Luca. "Good luck, _hermano_!"

Then he grabbed Chris by his wrist and winked at Daniel, who was looking at him with wide-open eyes, almost frozen in his place. The rest of them followed Pete with enthusiasm.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

Aaron, Craig, Jensen, Harry and Daniel leaded Gwenyth, Chloe and Amanda through the darkness, while Pete put his arm around Chris Eriksen.

They were heading towards the main hall, now sneaking up against a wall of the left wing of the building, in direction to where the secretary office would still be open due to the special occasion.

"Why don't you talk to Daniel yet? You shy?" Pete whispered, close to the blonde's ear while their steps resonated over the dusty floor. The pack of students filled with shushing and tongue clicks.

Chris shifted. "I dunno. I'm nervous?"

Pete chuckled. Aaron opened a door, where the rest was supposed to walk into. Then he looked over at the boy, who put his hands in his pockets and hovered shyly, wondering what the hell had happened that made Chris so hesitant towards Daniel.

Pete then nudged Chris softly on his shoulder. "Hey, dude. You got this. He's probably more nervous about why you haven't talked to him. Trust me." He whispered back.

Chris elevated his look, before walking into the open door. "You should know better than me, anyways." The boy replied in something more than an ironic tone.

They walked inside. When Pete made it into the building, Aaron closed the door and proceeded to shush everyone up. Pete whispered close to Chris's ear to talk. He did the same.

"Why come?" He frowned softly.

"What he feels and whatnot. You probably know him better than me." Chris replied, following the rest of guys into the hallway of lockers.

The rest of the group walked in between indistinct chatter.

"Why would you think that? I don't know everything about Dan. You should probably know about bits I'm missing out on." Pete replied, flashing out the torch from his phone. A couple guys clicked their tongue, annoyed.

"Dude!" Craig exclaimed in a whisper.

"Sorry, sorry." Pete apologized, putting a hand up. Then he whispered towards Chris. "For example, I still don't know where he comes from and why he moved."

Chris widened his eyes softly.

"Guys sometimes ask him about his parents and he doesn't want to talk. He's been a fighter, yenno. Loosing one and missing the other left." Pete informed him. "And right now you're the only one who looks like knowing anything about this."

The blonde boy lowered his head.

"Just talk to him, okay? He'll be happy to hear from you." Pete encouraged him wholeheartedly, bushing a palm of his hand against the short blonde's back.

Chris nodded.

"Fist-bump?" The redhead offered. The blonde boy chuckled softly and bumped fists with him, putting the hands into his pockets again.

Then he left Chris to stroll alone, and furthered forwards until Aaron, whose wrist he grabbed and pulled away from the crowd. The rest kept on walking when Pete gestured them to continue.

"Yo, man. What?" Aaron asked, quickly leaning into him to listen.

"I know what's going on in between these two." Pete said.

"Who? Dan and his sweetie boo?"

"Yeah." He received a chuckle. "Help me keep Chris and Luca apart as far as possible."

"What? Why? You're talking to me, dude. I'm simple. I don't do grudges." Aaron said with a fun tone.

"Luca's plotting against Chris and Daniel. I mean it."

"Oh, fuck." Aaron widened his eyes. "Is he?"

"Remember how he wouldn't let go of the grip he had on Chris earlier?"

"I, uh... Did he?"

"Doesn't matter. That's because he's insecure. He knows Chris and Daniel are in love. He feels threatened." He confessed in a whisper.

"That's not good, man. You sure?"

"Daniel is a wreck, Aaron. He's never been like this. I saw that same look in Chris's eyes after the match ended. He's plotting. I just know." He assured. "I don't want to fuck anyone up, just make sure that Chris and Daniel have enough time to catch up and vibe together, as far away from Luca as possible." He continued.

"Okay." Aaron answered. "Do I need to tell the others or what?"

"Nah, it's okay between us. I'm not the grudge type. I just want the best for Dan." He said sadly.

"Me too." Aaron replied. "We'll be good friends for him."

"Follow my game, Aaron. Pull Chris along." He said quickly before walking over fastly towards Daniel, whose shoulders he pushed playfully into the secretary office.

Daniel almost tripped inside, confused. Then he gave him his torch and winked at him. He frowned instead, confused.

Then Aaron pushed Chris into the office too, in between giggles with the blonde.

"What..?" Daniel asked, confused in the dark. Chris, instead, swore under his breath.

The rest of the guys stood close to the entrance, laughing at Daniel. Then suddenly Aaron murmured "The mission is yours!", and closed the door in their faces.

Silence. Gwenyth and her friends shared muted laughs. The guys high-fived each other, triumphant. Close to them, on the other side of the door, were both teachers along with Luca who ignored their little parallel mission.

Pete finally exhaled, proud of himself.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

"Are you okay?" Daniel snorted, in middle of their sudden and dense silence. The faraway bickering on the other side of the wall kind of broke the ice somehow, preventing Chris from melting into full-awkward mode. The blonde boy bit his lip sheepishly, coming close to his best friend to snatch his torch slowly away. 

_Silence_. 

"Okay, well. I'll take that as a yes." Daniel murmured loud enough. The light that the blonde boy carried around proceeded to form dancing silhouettes on the walls, similar to those light spectacles on the nightly Norwegian skies. Just that instead of water and mountain being around them, they were surrounded by spider webs and dust. _Who had been the last one to clean the space up?_

Chris beamed quietly, putting things away while searching for the famous keys. He swore when a pair of scissors fell to the ground, before kneeling to pick them up. The soft curse that came out of his lips was enough to make Daniel shift, finally aware of his opportunity with him. _Was he being too silent? Should he say or do something in concrete?_ Nevertheless, his hands were faster and already kneeled before him to grab the object, before placing it over the desk. His body didn't move from the reduced space he suddenly shared with his blonde friend; it was like his feet couldn't move when they were closer than two feet apart. _Neither his heart did_. 

_Another silence_.

He breathed out, unable to say anything else. Chris's body remained stiff, his head slowly moving towards his own in an attempt to add something to their embarrassing and soundless silence. The crickets were already bickering outside, singing a pathetic and awkward chorus to a song that Daniel and Chris struggled to share. _Or speak about_. 

The street lamps vaguely threw in any light into the room, making their silhouettes as dark as their ghosty friendship. _Who had turned off their torch?_

Oh well. 

"T-Thanks." Chris whispered. Daniel gulped, nodding. 

"We'll be in and out. Don't you worry, okay?" He insisted, nervously. Then he chuckled. The blonde boy looked at him with hooded eyes in reply, mumbling a soft " _okay_ ". Then he fiddled with his black nails, thinking quickly about a conversation topic to break the ice. _What could you possibly tell to your best friend that they didn't already know? They had ghosted each other after what had seemed to be almost six years of fun, talks and promises. What could he possibly say to pretend that nothing bad had happened?_ His friend, instead, mumbled something under his breath.

"What?" Daniel asked in the soft voice he only used with Chris. 

"I met Pete earlier." He repeated with a slightly bolder tone, keeping it nice and quiet. The silence kept floating around them, as they proceeded to sit on the ground facing each other. When their butts sat over the cold material, they placed their hands on different places.

Daniel's eyes recovered some light. "Oh, for real?" He beamed, remembering how Pete had gone out looking for him. "You talked together, then? What did he say? Something stupid, I guess." The brown-haired one rolled his eyes, slightly embarrassed. He knew how his friends behaved sometimes. 

Chris just shrugged, though. His hands held the torch again to switch it on, before Daniel met his blue eyes. He blinked. 

"He's actually really cool. More than I thought." Chris smiled profoundly, relaxing at last. Then he aimed his stare towards his friend. "I kind of understand why you prefer him over your boring best friend." He chuckled with a bitter tone. That last comment stung Daniel like a bee. 

"What? You're not boring." He replied incredulously. _His eyes shined in his direction_.

"Yeah. That's why you're totally all over your new friends now." Chris replied, looking downwards. "I'm just third-wheeling all around now." 

Daniel widened his eyes before staring at him with furrowed eyebrows. Excuse him? What the heck was he talking about? Daniel would never, ever treat him like that. 

"What the heck are you talking about now, Chris Eriksen?" He huffed. "You definitely haven't done that." 

Chris just grimaced, unable to reply. The brown-haired one in front of him just stiffed, surprised at the sudden energy that his friend's body emanated. Was he really worried about that now? 

"I'm just... Nevermind." His voice trailed down. Daniel tried to add something but Chris just denied with his head. "It's selfish." 

"What? No. Chris, come on." He said with a pleading tone. 

"No, it's okay." Chris frowned, mumbling it. 

Daniel moved closer, bumping their foreheads softly now. Their eyes proceeded to meet clumsily, the closest they ever had in years. " _Look at me_ ", the brown-haired one whispered when the other one kept averting his look. When he did, Daniel just aimed a " _you're better than this_ " glance over at Chris, whom he received modestly. The blonde boy let out a depleted breath, aiming his hopeless look into his friend's eyes before the contrary just softened their look. 

"Now don't you come to me with bullshit now, Chris." He started with a warm voice. When his friend shrugged softly, he clicked his tongue. "Sheesh, don't you do that now. Don't even try that on me." He added with a more determined tone. 

Chris elevated a weaker look now, aiming it at Daniel like a protest. The contrary huffed slowly. The blonde one licked his lower lip with restlessness, not wanting to talk about how lonely the football player had made him feel lately. _Anything else would be easier to talk out_. 

"Come on. Tell me about Pete." He continued in his warm and soothing voice. "You started saying something earlier." He said with closed eyes. He loved to try and lift Chris's spirits up like that; he had always done so when he found his blonde friend in tears _. Back when they were kids._

_Silence._

"He was really nice, and I got this good vibe straight away." He managed to say at last. "He told me a heck of things."

"Bet he talked about a lotta crap." Daniel chuckled. 

"He didn't bullshit me. I actually ended up liking him." He added with a softer tone, to which the brown-haired boy exhaled relaxed. "He told me you were upset I didn't come along." Chris confessed, making Daniel's cheeks adopt a red tone. "I thought you had forgotten about tonight, since there was this party topic all around, so I felt the same."

"How?" Daniel asked, hope clinging to his heart.

"Upset." He confessed in a quieter voice. "Thought you had totally forgotten and would join the rest to get wasted, instead of coming home."

Daniel frowned. Had Chris really thought that he'd drop him off like that?

"Did you really think I was going to trade you for a bunch of beers that easy?" He chuckled incredulously. He then brought his hands to his blonde friend's sleeves, tugging at them before their arms tangled slowly. Chris's heart melted at this, as well as a brighter look that took over his eyes when Daniel searched for his fingers tentatively. The blonde-haired one accepted them, but didn't link them together as he chose to hold his hands normally. 

"You should know." Chris shrugged. 

"You're right, I do." That answer only lured the blue-eyed even more. "I know I wouldn't." He said, brushing his fingers on top of his friend's palm with affection to change his mindset. Chris gave into his touch, exhaling deeply. Then he tilted his head in his friend's direction, feeling the heavy air around them. _How did they get to that situation?_

"Yeah, well, I can't even tell much since we talked one _month_ ago." Chris replied with a melancholic tone. "Then whoosh. You're gone."

Daniel blinked, slowly, staring towards the way Chris's hands remained soft under his own. He gripped them in a comforting way, not pulling away from his forehead just yet. He then elevated his look towards a mild boy with golden locks and a pure look, who just felt rejected and abandoned like he had when his mother passed away, at eight. He would never make him feel lonely like he had back then. Daniel would never in this world want such thing for him, and their friendship was too strong to break over the years. In the end, it would always be them, even if they were separated by time and the longest of distances. He proceeded to snuzzle a bit furtherly into him until their noses touched, tugging on his long sleeves. 

Chris stared at him with an undecipherable expression, blinking slowly and solely. 

"I thought for a moment that you were going to cancel on _me_." Daniel stood in silence then, while his heart threatened him with breaking so loud that Chris would hear. "When I saw you two kiss. Yenno." His voice trailed off.

The blonde's face remained stiff but emotive, unable to think properly while Daniel was still holding his hands in such a way, that it made all his sadness evaporate. His soft touch felt mushy, like a home that he had been searching for, ringing every door bell with a bottle of spirit in his hand. He looked aside, thinking about the way he should handle that situation. What was it that he wanted, exactly?

"I was going to... Yenno." _He didn't even know himself_. He just knew about the way Falls's lips had felt so good over his own, not much more. "Stuff happened in between us. We were about to go to my place."

 _If he only knew_ , thought Daniel. But he chased that thought away. 

"Well, it doesn't really hurt to tell, right?" Daniel mumbled, hurt. 

"No." Chris replied, with closed eyes and furrowed eyebrows. Why was it so damn hard to tell his best friend something so simple? "I'm sorry that I wasn't going to tell you, Dan. That was bitchy from me. About joining Luca for the night, I mean." 

"It's okay." Daniel replied. _Ouch_.

"I just wanted to come over and congratulate you on that final goal. It was sick." Chris said, trying to smile again. "You owned the night, Danny." He finished with a soft whisper. 

_I didn't_ , Daniel thought. 

He found it harder to stay close to his face when they were talking so easily about that. The conversation was nowhere near happy. Daniel's deliberate silence made Chris loose his point as he tried to cancel their plans for the night as politely as possible. Because, it was what he was supposed to do, right? Luca had been right when he told him to be upfront with him and his desires. He had told him to be the water. The leader. _The owner._

In the heat of the moment, he felt it was the correct thing to do.

"Daniel, why are you ghosting me?" He asked instead, sadness filling his voice.

"I'm not." Daniel huffed, hurt. His hands searched for Chris's again, but he pulled them away this time. _Their foreheads were still glued, though_. Daniel's stare weakened. 

"Then why? Why are you turning away?" Chris asked softly. "You never come over for lunch, never stop by at the library, never come to check over if I need help. It's like you're poof, away." He said. "Luca suggested you're reluctant, or something. I was starting to think that you just wanted me when you were new and that now you're discarding me for your new friends."

Luca had done _what_? Had he actually thought that he and Chris were pulling away or something? He really didn't know much about their relationship, then. Making Chris feel as miserable as he did when his mother left was by far something he was planning on making sure he'd never, ever, let happen. _By any means_. 

"Chris, please, I'm not." He insisted, tears starting to gather under his eyes. He tilted into his face a bit, not too much though, while he tried to reach for his hand again. 

Chris instead just smacked his hand away, huffing soflty. "Then I remember how you only remember about me when our families interact, or because we bump into each other or send a text, or I dunno, coincidences, but when you want to go and have fun you always, always prefer your new friends. And it breaks me. It breaks me that Luca could be right about your ghosting." The blonde one explained with a weak tone. "Then I remember how we were such good friends before, back when you came to Beaver Creek and we would hang out together, do basically everything next to each other, how I grew up with you, and it kills me to think you're slipping away. You're off my grip, Daniel." He finished with an unstable tone. 

Daniel furrowed his eyebrows while he grimaced, shedding a tear. "I'm not, _fuck_!" He replied with a broken sob, at the verge of breaking entirely. The blonde-haired boy proceeded to fix his hurt eyes into Daniel's wet ones, startled. His body stiffened a bit, watching his friend shed quiet tears across his cheek as he seemed like breaking at any moment. _One after the other_.

"I'm sorry." His voice trembled, apologizing. "I-I didn't mean it." 

Then the blonde boy felt how his friend's hand cupped his cheek, keeping their faces close as he felt his body embrace him, his legs placing on either sides of his body while his hand fell to his neck, brushing his thumb past his chin softly. Then Daniel's body started to shift, sobbing mutedly. The blue-eyed's stare turned more determined now, staring at his face features up-close while blinking in a sad way. His heart remained touched by something deep inside Daniel's cry. Their bodies were close, embracing each other as their sorrow coincided. 

His heart started beating faster, thinking about how good Daniel's embrace felt, comparing it to the way he had kissed Luca before. Daniel's cool and soft grip on his hands was calming his heart down; he had never felt him hold him like that before. It was a sad grip, one that told Chris an unhappy story. A story that ended up with two broken hearts and one shattered love. Chris wanted to change the story Daniel's hands were telling him, but didn't know what to do. He just didn't. Luca had gave him an answer, and other ten questions as well.

 _I'm in love with you, goddamit._ Daniel thought _._

"Chris, please, stop saying that." Daniel sobbed softly.

Chris's eyes watered, blinking with sadness as he watched his best friend's miserable state. _What had he done? Was it too bad like this?_

"Okay." The blonde boy's voice trembled. "I'm sorry."

" _Fuck_." Daniel protested, stopping himself from becoming a crying mess. He then blinked surprised, witnessing how Chris joined their hands himself and brushed his thumbs over his palms with affection. 

"Do you think I should stay?" Chris asked with a careful voice. "Even though Luca hates it here..? I was thinking about telling him it won't be for long... Or something."

Daniel sniffed. Silence. Daniel's world fell to his feet, feeling like he definitely touched rock bottom now. It was a mess. Everything was a mess. He didn't want this; this wasn't the Christmas he wanted.

"Do you? Like it here, I mean?" He asked, even though he felt like he was throwing a rock towards the tip of a skyscraper.

"Hell yeah, you and Pete are the best." Chris chuckled with some fun, even though his eyes were wet. "I wouldn't miss a party with you for anything in the world."

Daniel chuckled against his tears. "But you seem confused in between both options." 

"I am." Chris beamed back. Silence. 

_Was he? Really?_ Daniel thought bitterly. After all, he had been honest. 

The brown-haired one rummaged through his pockets, pulling away from Chris's forehead for a bit. The blonde boy proceeded to exhale calmly, pulling his hands away before fidgeting with the torch. Then Daniel gave his friend a small circular metal piece, which was a golden dollar if he wasn't wrong. 

Chris chuckled breathlessly. "Are we really going to decide it over some coin?" He asked with fun. He sniffed, less sad now. 

He nodded shortly, before showing him either sides of the piece. "This side is leaving with Luca, and the other is staying at the party." He said in a deep voice. 

Then he flipped the coin over his palm, showing Chris his obtained result. The blonde boy then blinked, emotionless, staring at the side that appeared over his hand.

 _Leaving with Luca_.

"Do you like your result?" Daniel asked again. 

Chris elevated his look, and fixed it into the brown-haired's. He frowned, thinking about what to say, seeming rather unconvinced than anything else. The darkness floated around the scarce source of light that the torch gave them, while the crickets kept ranting. 

"The thing is, actually, that you don't need any result. You already answered yourself." Daniel added, stuffing the coin back into his pocket. 

Chris blinked, smirking softly. "Well, it's definitely a good bet for undecisive hearts." 

Daniel winked at him, taking his hands off his pockets before leaning into Chris until their foreheads touched, more gently now. Chris beamed. His legs were still on his either sides, moving softly like his mood. The blonde-haired boy chuckled, followed by a comfortable silence in which Daniel stared at his hair and eyes, one after the other, while observing him with a deep and pure expression. Chris snuggled in a bit, shrugging with another smile.

"I missed talking to you like this." He confessed, blinking the humidity away from his eyes. "You have no idea." 

"...Yeah." He replied in a deep tone, his eyes almost becoming a sky full of stars for him. 

Silence. 

Chris proceeded to place his hand over Daniel's wet cheek, now sharing an intimate stare as both wondered what the fuck they were doing at the school building at night, about to go on separate ways with different people altogether. The blonde boy's body slowly calmed down, aiming hooded eyes at his friend before staying like that, glued to their embrace and staring into his eyes which complemented a wonderful smile of his that the brown-haired one personally adored.

Daniel couldn't help leaning into his lips as their hearts throbbed and pounded inside either's chests, blinking softly. His own barely brushed superficially over the blonde's before assimilating the breathtaking moment. He could feel his flesh in between his own, his face frowning as he felt his warm breath on top of his. _Chris wasn't pulling away. Oh my god. Chris wasn't fucking pulling away._ His lips parted, about to brush against the blue-eyed one's who reacted to the thumb Daniel had brushed against it. 

_The blonde looked at him with this scared and deep expression, a dozen feelings crossing his head at once, making him loose his mind like crazy_. 

Suddenly they heard heavy knocks on the door, followed by loud whispers and hushed noises. _Hurry up!_ and _Guys, pick the keys and come!_ Resonated through the wall.

Daniel pulled away, widening his eyes. "Fuck, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorrier." Chris lowered his head, blushing wildly. "I started it."

 _What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the_ -

"I went along with it." He stammered, standing to his feet before helping Chris up. His touch felt ten times more intense and soft, which made the blonde boy feel dizzy and on overdrive at the same time. Then Daniel hurried across the room to steal their gym pass in between soft clanking and clashing of keys, forming further silhouettes on the wall.

Chris blushed like crazy, eyes wide open and his chest inflating and deflating quickly. _What the flying fuck?!_

Daniel closed the key holder shelf door shut as he placed the scissors in the pencil cup, making sure that the room was in optimal condition before placing the gym keys in his pockets. Then he encountered with Chris, who stared at him with a busted expression. Then Daniel looked back.

Silence. The blonde's body seemed to shift endlessly while his cheeks burned in a soft red, tugging at his sleeves while they stared at each other out of breath. Had they really just almost fucking kissed? The blonde boy's startled expression was more than enough for a wheezing Daniel who couldn't yet believe what they had just done. Or started. They didn't even complete anything, it was just a clumsy move that ended in nothing. 

_Fuck, fuck, fuck_.

When Chris tried to walk towards the door, the brown-haired one couldn't help grabbing him softly by the wrist. _He needed to say something else_. 

"Hey."

"Yes?" Chris asked, with his last gasp of breath left.

"I..." Silence. "I just wanted to say that I can't, you know, guarantee that we'll be knowing each other until the end and that." Daniel started. "I can't promise you those things, since I hurt you without even knowing." Then he took a step closer to his best friend, trying to sound as clear as possible without loosing his mind over their lips almost touching a darn minute ago.

Chris looked at him in the eyes, surprised as ever, blinking with a dreamy expression. 

"We don't need any of that. For me, what we had is forever. Even though you felt like I was deliberately ignoring you." He confessed with a warm tone. "In the end, we just keep pushing and pulling, and we're just rescuing something that already mattered."


	7. Night is reckless

( **Armistice** \- Phoenix)

  
The blonde boy held his breath.

Daniel didn't just say that. Had he? His face was undecipherable and his cheeks were burning with a red colour, telling him that whatever had come out of his mouth was important for him. How the fuck had his old Daniel come back? Had he, after all? Maybe the new Daniel had just swung by to remind him that their bond still existed. At least, his eyes carried some sense of hope in them, like he was trying to convince his blonde friend with the glitter in them. Now Chris just wanted to play forming constellations with it.

Fuck. Daniel really had done that.

For him.

He beamed, blinking softly and purely in the brown-haired's direction, who now flipped the purple streak away from his eyes. He looked beautiful.

"Okay, Daniel." Chris finally said with a weak string of voice. This was happening. Oh my god.

Daniel smiled satisfied, and slightly defeated. Maybe their conversation had been too much, the blonde boy thought. But it all paid off in the way the brown-eyed one was staring at him them, looking at him like he was this compelling and meaningful thing for him. That was what Chris actually wanted; closure. A good, deep and talked out closure with his best friend.

That way, they were able to steal the gym's keys with success while the smoker boy and the group of students misleaded the teachers. After reuniting with Luca and the remaining students, the gang soon proceeded to escape through the back of the football field, where they all gathered to talk about who would arrange concrete things to set the party up in between chatter.

After they had scribbled into Craig's old notebook while resting for fifteen minutes, they all stood up from their seats and walked in direction to Walmart, that was a few miles away. If it were to be a movie, their bodies would move in slow-motion and they'd walk determinedly towards their destination, with a hint of fire in their eyes.

Inside the fully packed building full of customers, Aaron proceeded to grab a cart and carry Craig and Pete in it, Harry driving Daniel and Jensen in the other. Gwenyth proceeded to take pictures on their phones of themselves in shades and striking photos, as well as boomerang stories of the guys mocking around in the carts.

Other students just followed around, proposing stuff and paying for some things, others even joked. Chris carried Daniel's skateboard under his sleeve, short before becoming the protagonist and object of Gwenyth's phone when he swayed along the corridor on the wheels, making the rest of the guys laugh and joke.

Daniel could just watch flustered towards the image of his crush riding just fine on his skateboard, which was full of stickers of bands and bitching phrases, soon hit on the back and whistled by his dorky friends.

They wasted a whole thirty minutes just like that, making a huge deal of buying party supplies, laughing and snapping photos of a bunch of guys who were pumped up and in mood for bitching around.

Chris also recorded stuff, taking selfies with Daniel and jumping around hyped with Pete. He even managed to take a smile out of Luca, who finally beamed and formed a korean heart with his fingers.

Walmart security almost took them out of the building when they were lectured on the snacks hallway, Gwenyth recording in between giggles and jokes with Chloe. Then they were released and given an opportunity to pay for their supplies and leave.

There was a video Chris recorded of a happy Harry making funny grimaces while shaking the gym keys in his hands, forming a both lunatic and humoristic grin.

Forty minutes later, they were all returning from the supermarket from buying food and drink and came back with boxes of beers and munchies, which Aaron and the guys balanced while the girls carried cables, usb ports and confetti sprinklers.

The park was quiet at that point of the night, and the street lamps flickered. Aaron's gang and Gwenyth's friends joked about trivial things and clouds of smoke formed over their heads, coming from their cigarettes, as they waited for the school to become deserted.

Despite the silence floating around them, the guys _were_ the party.

_11:34 pm_

The music blasted from the speakers, resonating against the walls and thumping from the ground. The gym bleachers, earlier, had been full of students setting up speakers or getting out food from boxes that they had bought from the supermarket where they had made a huge deal in earlier, and kept handing out bags of munchies over to Aaron, Craig and Pete who were setting up a nearby table with bowls of crisps, cookies, sweets and Chock-O-Crisp bars, as well as Twix and Snickers.

Jensen and Daniel, along with Gwenyth, were connecting the snowball machine that that had been left there by the teachers and succeeded at their mission, sending a bolt of fake snow over a crowd of students, who screamed and exploded into cheers. Everyone else joined them in their enthusiasm, walking over to the table for snacks or dancing along to the song playing over the speakers.

When they had finally managed to make the snow machine work properly, they connected a microphone to the speakers and placed a chair and table (from a random class nearby) for Pete, who would play DJ for the night. Gwenyth proceeded to gift him some black shades she carried in her bag, and kissed him on the cheek for a photo. Everyone crowded around and Cecily filmed that moment, followed by a collective cheer.

"Smile!" Cecily exclaimed, kissing the air while she snapped a photo of a happy Gwenyth placing a soft peck over the guy's cheek.

The rest of the guys loved it, while they soon made a huge deal out of the little but suggestive action of the black haired girl, proceeding to make gagging sounds and lumps on their cheek, suggesting that Pete would be having action that night.

Chris laughed, flustered, while he kept clapping his hands from the bleachers where he was sitting with Luca. Those bunch of idiots that were Daniel's friends could keep making a fool out of themselves, and still get to score for the night. It was incredible how much they enjoyed their confidence without looking snobby or intimidating, and at the same time made everyone feel like home. _Like Pete had with him_.

He liked Pete.

Then he cocked his head to the side, staring over at Luca with whom he had to talk to seriously, sooner or later. Basically to get hold of his feelings and get things straight. The black-haired smoker, though, seemed to be having a hard time in his seat.

"Luca. You okay?" He asked carefully.

Something was weirdly off. Luca didn't look dominant or secure, like he had before. _He seemed distant and reluctant_. Even after kissing him like he had on the rooftop and the bleachers at the match. Even after feeling his lips on his and believing that something else existed after a broken heart, he looked like getting up and leaving at any moment.

He was right. _Luca didn't like it there_. Chris also didn't like it that he almost cheated on him too, just an hour or two ago.

Just fucking almost.

"Eh, I, uh..." Luca replied, suddenly waking up from his own trance. "I'm just not that really into parties."

"I can tell. You totally spaced out, with me being here." Chris said with a chuckle.

Luca stared towards a concrete point of the bleachers of the opposite side, and bit his nail with worry.

"Luca, did you even like kissing me?" Chris finally asked.

Silence.

Luca stopped biting his nail, his eyes widening and adopting a weaker stare. He then proceeded to look over at Daniel and his gang and looked over at Chris.

"Chris, you're amazing. Talented. Pretty. Everything I could ask for." Luca said, looking into Chris's eyes.

Chris gulped, suddenly touched.

"I'm just... I'm just a bitch. I judged you and your friends wrong." Luca said, biting his nail again. "I'm such a plotter."

Silence. The blonde boy tried to say something, but nothing came from his lips. Then he frowned.

"I'll just... Go over and..." He continued.

"What? What are you saying?" Chris replied, confused. "Don't you try that shit that you're too bad for me or something." He added.

 _Because I'm the one who almost cheated on you_.

"I... I'm getting in your way, dude. I thought you would be an easy match since you looked lost. And broken." He continued. "Since I'm good with words, and all that."

Chris widened his eyes. Luca shifted beside him, exhaling defeated.

"You don't even like me, do you?" Luca laughed softly, looking at him from his seat. "You've got _cheater_ stuck all over your face." He added. "Don't ask me, I know a lot about physical language."

The blonde boy gulped, nervous. He then looked over at Luca, stammering.

"I never cheated on you." He said, sure about what he was saying. "And I mean it."

But Luca wasn't buying it. Not anymore.

"I know you didn't. But you don't like me." Luca said. "Pete and his friends might as well want to kick my ass outta here."

Chris melted into a pity expression, knowing that statement well. He had just looked... So hopeful with him. The blonde boy definitely thought Luca had been an answer.

"You're a nice guy, Chris. I'm not." Luca said. "I'm a piece of bitch."

Silence.

"I knew you would totally fall for my bullshit." He confessed. "And I still know you don't even like me now."

Chris looked at him with realization, a small hint of hurt shining in his eyes. Was he really that predictable and easy to trick? He lowered his eyes, a little bit deceived.

"Damn, Luca." Chris said. "I... Wow." Silence.

"Nah, you don't have to say anything." He replied.

"You are a bitch, dude." Chris frowned. "I totally fell for your psychology crap there."

"I'm sorry." Luca said, brushing his face with his hands. Then he exhaled, slowly and deliberately, gathering all his courage before before looking into Chris's eyes. "Who I'm truly in love with is Daniel."

Chris widened his eyes like plates.

"I was jealous of you for a while. For many months. I would try and talk to Daniel but couldn't get my shit together, while you had this easy flow with him all along. Nevertheless, when I got to meet you finally in lab, stuff changed. I liked you too, when I saw you those months ago. You're nice. And sweet. And caring. My jealousy drifted finally away. I felt good." He continued. "You're definitely the type of person that I'd get along with, and I don't wanna bitch around here. This is uncharted and definitely not my place."

Silence. Chris denied with his head slowly, and a concrete fire burning in his eyes. He gripped to his breath while staring at him like he was seeing a ghost.

Silence.

"It's okay, Chris. Please don't feel pity for me." He said, finally able to exhale calm. Then he stared over at the party happening in from of them both, and the shine that had been haunting his eyes for too long finally melted into a satisfied shimmer.

That was Luca's confidentness finally leaking in.

"Please, just... Let me get over things on my own. Don't try and help me with my feelings for Daniel. It'll be harder if you do." He finally admitted.

Chris's expression remained sad and unchanging, almost sorry for him. Fuck. He had absolutely no idea that he felt like that. He had just been a parch for a broken heart there. Well, maybe not a parch, but a coping mechanism. He didn't know what made him feel worse.

He proceeded to watch a Luca that fought to keep himself in a whole piece while placing a hand below his chin. Then he grimaced.

"Luca... That doesn't take away what you tried there." Chris said, with a frowned expression. "It... It wasn't cool, dude. I almost thought my best friend wasn't good for me anymore."

Silence.

"I know. That's why I'm telling you now." Luca exhaled. "I don't want to roll with punches. I want to make things right." Then he unbent his legs, stretching them over the steps. People started screaming "Wooo!" when Craig started drinking three bottles of beer quickly, one after the other. 

Chris huffed, melting into a sad look.

"I'll admit I was a little reluctant towards Daniel too, though. Felt the denial too much." The blonde figure said. "I was giving into believing anything to distract myself from the pain that meant letting him go. Even your bullshit."

"Yeah. And I'm sorry about that." Luca replied. "I took advantage, and that says a lot about me. I..." He closed his eyes, then. "I hope you two can finally solve your stuff together. For real."

Then he looked into Chris's eyes, nodding convinced. The blonde haired boy with blue eyes returned that brave look and finally smiled, almost.

"We're in peace, Luca." He said at last. "You were honest with me."

"Yeah." He nodded. Craig finally whipped his hair to the side, triumphant while the rest clapped and cheered.

Chris punched Luca in the shoulder in a playful way, whispering "you fucker" before denying with his head.

"Don't ever come up to me with bullshit, Luca. Ever." Chris added. "I'm serious this time."

"I won't." He nodded, before looking at him. "It's not what I truly want." He grimaced sadly. "What I want is over, it wasn't for me anyways."

Chris's crooked smile broke a bit, nodding.

"Thank you, Luca."

"Don't even thank me." He chuckled.

"Okay, asshole." Chris chuckled back. "Now get out of my way. Go and invite someone to a beer or shit."

Luca put both his hands up in a sign of peace before laughing softly, shortly before standing up.

"Fine. I got it." He said with a fun tone. "I'm out of the picture now."

Suddenly Pete came into view, calling Chris's name. When he finally arrived, his redhead colour contrasted with the many lights that showered over his hair. He looked happy and a bit drunk, by the colour of his cheeks.

"Chrissy, you coming over? Your Coywolf comic is waiting for you." He announced happy. Then he looked over at Luca and lost his smile. "This dude giving you a hard time?" He asked, pointing at Luca without embarassment.

Chris bit his lip with fun while Luca blushed.

"Nah, not really. We cool." Chris shrugged. Then he looked over at Luca, who seemed to wish to disappear. "Wait, Luca."

The black-haired boy turned back almost before walking away.

"Yeah?" He asked surprised.

Pete alternated in between them both, curious, while crossing his arms. He frowned a bit.

"Thanks for standing back in time, Luca. I'm glad we could finish whatever happened today in a good manner. We should share a beer sometime." He said with a generous tone.

Luca beamed.

"I appreciate it, Chris." He replied. "I'll get back at you when I solve my own shit. Later."

Then he was gone. _As simple as that_.

Silence.

Pete smiled. Instantly. Then Chris got up, joining the redhead student.

"Where are we going?" Chris asked, offering him his arm like he was a bride. Pete took it, fun.

"Right with your Coywolf comic." Pete said, dragging his words a bit.

How could it not be midnight yet and there were drunk people already?

"Who do you guys really sleep with? Girls, boys or alcohol?" Chris snorted, placing an arm around Pete's neck, who carried him throughout the gym towards his friends. Pete cackled.

"So, people who feel neither are alcoholics?" Pete asked with a hint of confusion. Still, he smiled croakedly. 

"Fuck, right." Chris smiled. "Of course. I didn't mean to offend."

"No worry, sweetie." He said, grabbing Chris's cheek to pull it softly and playfully. Chris hurled and hit him in a fun way. "I'm not offended by it, I'm just myself. Pete Valley, who doesn't like to just fit in the two cis-gender boxes that they displayed for me since I was born." 

"Really?" Chris widened his eyes.

"Yeah, and my cousin too." He chuckled, high on alcohol and life.

They made their way past students that walked in opposite directions, wolfing food down or dancing along to the rythm of the music.

"Okay, Pete. It's okay. I won't mess your pronoun, if that's what you're worrying about."

"It's okay, I don't have the urge to talk about it just yet. It's going to be a _he_ and _they_ for now. Or you can just call me whatever the fuck you want." He said, ventilating himself with his shirt.

Then Chris proceeded to clap his classmate's hand, and chuckled. Then the redhead walked over to the group of guys that were crowding around Gwenyth and her friends, cheering for Pete when he came closer.

Chris stood close, scratching his elbow sheepishly. Then he turned around to look at a torn Luca in the distance, sitting down on the bleachers to observe the ground with mournfulness. He grimaced.

"What were you talking about?" Pete asked into his ear.

Chris widened his eyes before turning to find out the redhead was talking to him.

"Luca backed off. He told me a secret and broke our... Thing. Whatever it was." Chris told him.

What the fuck. Pete shifted, confused. Then he pushed his hair back, looking over at a depressed figure sitting on the stairs and observing the ground. Then he looked at Chris, who wore a happier and more calm expression now.

"Wait. He what?" He asked again.

"He told me he was plotting. He gives up, it's not me who he's after, in the end." Chris chuckled, a little sad. "I didn't expect it from him, but neither did I see Luca admitting it."

Silence. Pete widened his eyes.

"Actually, it's a really long story. I would kinda feel bad for him, if he weren't such a bitch. I don't hate him, though."

Chris melted into a melancholic expression, and chuckled emotionless. He fixed his eyes on the redhead.

"Really?" Pete asked, giving into the truth at last.

 _Wow. What the fuck_. Pete here was thinking he would have to throw punches for at least a couple more rounds.

"Yeah. I lectured him for a while, but he's just a depressed fucker who hasn't gotten over his own shit yet. I'm thankful he came to end things in a peaceful way, though." He said. "Now the party's definitely a hassle for him now."

Pete rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. Then he exhaled, staring over to his friends, and then to the snacks table.

"So, he really _did_ end things with you?" He asked.

"Yeah." Chris replied, looking downwards, a little embarassed that he had been broken up with. Just a chemical thing.

"Wow. Fuck. He was really touching my balls for a while."

"Me too..?" Chris frowned, soon elevating an eyebrow while he stared at Luca in the distance. "I was getting nervous with his social bullshit."

"Yeah, well." The redhead said, staring at the blonde boy who was slightly shorter than him.

"I told him not to bullshit me anymore. And then he told me a secret, and broke up." He said. "In a nice way, I guess."

Pete was shitfaced. An undecipherable expression pressed against his face while he scratched his neck, thoughtful. Did that even make sense? It had to, after all. Chris had recovered his usual calm expression.

"So what are you going to do now?"

"I dunno. Daniel looks okay. I talked to him before, in the secretary office, and we kinda solved our shit, so maybe I'll just go home and wait there. Or won't, at all. The party seems to good to be stopped until everyone forgets their names."

Silence. Chris looked downwards, frowning. Then he looked at the ground, thinking deeply.

"Dude... You ain't staying to party at least?" Pete asked, confused as ever. What the fuck had happened here? Luca backing off? Chris leaving the party? But not together with the smoker boy?

Chris looked over at Daniel, who seemed to be having the time of his life with Aaron and Craig, who were entertaining the rest with their jokes and gestures.

"Yeah. Don't wait for me, I certainly can't make this party any funnier, if you ask." The blonde guy smiled. "I did a pretty bitching thing before, and I don't really want to think about anything."

Silence. Pete beamed, thinking he had realized what had happened.

"So, you going?" The redhead asked, uncrossing his arms. He smirked, though.

"Yeah."

"And you're going to pretend nothing's happened with Daniel?" He bit his lip, fighting a lunatic grin spreading all over his lips.

"Exactly. He knows I'll be waiting for him anyways, or just... I dunno." He chuckled. "I'll text him, or whatever."  
He said, before a familiar song started playing on the speakers.

 _Fuck_. His song. The song him and Daniel had played in a car, on their way back home from a day trip to a lake when they were twelve. They had been _so_ happy without even knowing, and had sang along to the lyrics while looking at each other in the eyes when they weren't dancing in their seats. The sweet childhood memory made Chris melt into an instant smile.

"Thanks, Pete, for everything."

"It was nice. You're cool." Pete beamed, a true shine in his eyes exposing.

Craig and Aaron had grabbed a faux animal that they stole from a classroom earlier, and stuck it to a broom they found in the storage room, now elevating it towards the ceiling while screaming surrounded by cheering students. A fake animal with sunglasses, and people cheering while Craig screamed "We dunno what animal she really is, but _Mrs Denver parece ser una_ _zorra_!" Which meant that Mrs Denver was a fox, literally, meaning the _bitch_ insult in spanish. Mrs Denver was a really strict, humorless and cruel woman that was starting to get on the student's last nerve.

"I'll come around and say hi when I come and watch Daniel train. Sometime." Chris beamed.

"Of course, dude." The guy replied. Then he gasped, excited. "Oh! I have a better idea. Why don't you come and try football? Just to have fun." He prompted.

Chris chuckled, incredulous.

"Are you hearing yourself? Me? In a football field?" He laughed.

"And why the fuck not. You come over to check out on your Dan, kick some balls around, you tell us your stories and then you go and weird out your friends if you want. I won't get in your shy ass's way." Pete said.

Chris rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Okay, fine. You win." He said, pointing towards him with enthusiasm. "I'm glad we met."

"Same here." Pete smiled with a sincere expression. He really had respect for that crush of Daniel's.

"I have to go, Pete. Let's talk after Christmas break." He chuckled. "Take care!"

"I will." He clapped, striking a pose and punching his chest before pointing at him, considering Chris part of his own circle.

He told the redhead to not get too drunk before swaying through his side in direction to the exit. Slowly and deliberately.

"Later, steezy." Pete said, mostly to himself.


	8. Innocent eyes

His walking was rushy, and his eyes carried a nostalgic shine as his hair flipped to the sides with every step he took. The lights changed shades and colours, washing over everyone's heads and making them indistinguishable. He made his way through packed students, thinking of a younger Daniel in his mind. His memories rescued a little Daniel and himself getting hyped up over chunky chocolate crisp bars and Power Bear now, unable to think about the following days when all they had was their moment.

 _It's okay._ He thought happy. _I'll just go and_ _arrange stuff in the tree house, smoke a joint or whatever, and wait for him to come home. I'm so tired from cheating and bitching and sneaking into places._

"Chris." A high-pitched and squeaky voice said, with a hand gripping his wrist from behind. He turned around, surprised.

(Our Story - **Mako** )

_Take a look back at innocence_

_Take a step back to yesterday_

It was Daniel. The blonde haired boy grinned, his eyes shining with recognition. Daniel wore his blue and red jacket, fitting him just right for the ten years he had. Chris's heart stopped, all of his six senses confused as ever, as he touched his face with doubt, to check if he was real. He proceeded to brush cheeks with his hands, pulling his fingers away to find out he had blue paint smudged in them, and looked up with adoration.

"Did you check out the table? It's full of chunky chock-o-crisp bars!" He said with an exaggerated excited tone. "It took me so long to find you, come!"

_When life would move slower, we would never grow up_

_All we knew that love was for when we're older_

Chris chuckled softly and felt himself be pulled along. He looked down to his hands, where the blue paint was still smudged. He beamed, widening his eyes as they both arrived at the table of snacks, a little high for them.

He proceeded to stare down at his clothes, when he realized he was wearing his "Awesome" shirt and his handmade superhero costume. The cheap paint kind of sticked to his face annoyingly, but it felt great to disguise his normal face under Captain One's in their secret little mission.

Daniel turned towards him, whipping his bangs away from his eyes before asking him. "Should I steal the whole bowl? I'm sure no one's going to miss them. Check, it's full!" He exclaimed.

Chris realized that Daniel had a purple streak of hair on his bangs, which he proudly wore with a bright smile. He didn't wear much superhero material, apart from a blue cape he had tied to his neck and not so subtle face makeup. Or, to be more specific, random scribbles on his cheeks.

_Anything could happen, secretly imagine_

_They could never tear us apart, too young to fall_

"Grab them all, and let's go dance." Chris finally grinned, talking in his high-pitched voice. He proceeded to grab the bowl and stuff all of its content in their pockets, before placing the empty plate over the table and grab Daniel's wrist.

They laughed as they walked away.

"Do you think Mantroid would party?" Daniel asked surprised.

"What type of a question is that?" Chris squeaked.

"I dunno. Maybe he's the party type."

"Why would Mantroid be the party type?" Chris laughed as they came closer to the centre of the basketball field. Confetti lied on the floor and the music blasted out, unable to stop little Chris and Daniel from vibing together in the middle of that mess.

"I dunno. Everyone likes parties." He added.

"Shut up. Let's do the weird thing grown-ups do when they dance." Chris said, walking in circles around his friend, grabbing the palms of his hands softly.

The touch went straight to Daniel's heart, surprised at the feeling of having his soft skin tug at his hands. It felt nice. Daniel searched for Chris's blue and deep stare, aiming the glitter in his eyes at him.

_This is our story, that we could take back some day_

_Our lonely glory, that we could get back they say_

When Chris locked eyes with him, he finally beamed. His friend corresponded him. Then he proceeded to grip calmly on his fingers and took a step closer, inviting him with mischevious eyes to dance along with him.

_Daniel found himself calm and in peace, fond of that gentle gesture of Chris's that was starting to pull a smile on his lips._

They proceeded to dance slowly, holding onto each other's arms as they whipped their hair and jumped softly from the ground. Daniel looked happy, vibrant, full of energy and life, vibe which he had inherited from Chris, when the blonde boy had done his best to teach Daniel to move on with games, jokes, half crayons, sticker collecting and cheap paint.

"Chris." He asked with a calmer voice, stopping his dancing softly.

"Yeah."

"Thanks for coming back to me." Daniel added with a thankful shine in his eyes. _And he meant it_. 

_This is our story, that we could take back some day_

_Our hope if only, we could take back some day_

Chris frowned. The usual always smiling boy with crazy ideas and conspiracy theories, now stood calm and thoughtful before him.

"What? What are you talking about?" He replied with a sad tone. "I'd always come back to you. The _Spirit Squad_ united, remember?"

Daniel chuckled, a concrete shine glowing in his eyes. The blonde didn't know what it meant.

"I mean, for real. Thanks for trusting me even though I hurt you. I really didn't mean to ghost you for my football friends." He said with a caring voice, holding to his fingers softly.

_Huh?_

Chris remained touched in his place, the light from the spotlights showering different colours over everyone's heads and making them all look and shine like stars when the glitter fell from the ceiling. His blue eyes stared with adoration towards his best friend, who poured out his heart for him right there and in the moment.

_Take a look past our innocence_

_Take a step back to yesterday_

_When life would move slower, we would never grow up_

_All we knew that love was for when we're older_

"I really feel a lot of things, you know." Daniel beamed, tugging on a chunky chocolate bar with hesitation. Then he put it back into his pockets. "I'm just a kid inside, Chris. I don't know what to say, or do. We are so different, and yet the same." He confessed.

To say Chris had sparkles in his eyes was an understatement. He scratched a side of his cheek, which itched due to the stupid blue paint.

_Anything could happen, secretly imagine_

_They could never tear us apart too young to fall_

"I'm a bad one with words. I can feel it all, and talk nothing about it. I want to stay with you, Chris, but it's hard for me to tell. The good thing is, I've got some kick-ass friends who helped me." He chuckled.

Chris thought about Pete and his friendly and mischevious smile.

"They were the masterminds behind the plan to use you for the gym keys. Pete insisted after he saw me dwell over you." He confessed in a sweeter voice, looking at Chris with hooded eyes.

_This is our story, that we could take back some day_

_Our lonely glory, that we could get back they say_

The blonde boy just stiffened, widening his eyes with incredulousness and surprise.

"Don't push me away when I didn't get the chance to hold you back. I don't want you to go away." Daniel said with the most secure voice he had ever heard from him. The cheap paint on his face almost didn't look like a joke anymore. His eyes shined sadly, but secure.

Chris gulped, holding his hands.

"Me neither." He said with a heavy heart and eyes. He proceeded to stare deep into Daniel's eyes, which shined with innocence and pure affection. Then he finally exhaled with calmness, the sedation finally leaking into his heart.

At last.

"What?!" Seventeen-year old Daniel yelled back, over the screaming and singing of the rest of the students. He could barely even listen.

Chris widened his eyes, staring back at himself. His long-sleeve shirt with text over his skin laid under his red oversized hoodie, no Power Bear or paint smudged on his fingertips. No dirty shoes or heavy pockets from carrying Chock-O-Crisp bars. No innocent and big eyes that told him amazing stories.

No careless evenings where Chris would chill out in his tree house, waiting for Daniel to plot against Big Forest Crook together.

 _Who the fuck was Mantroid, again_ _?_

"What? Fuck!" Chris exclaimed, staring at his own hands, taking one or two steps back. He snapped back into his teenage reality; one where he still had an unexpected tension to solve with his best friend and he had been used by a guy to get over a broken heart.

Daniel stumbled towards him, grabbing his wrist carefully. His touch was caring and soft, unlike anyone else's.

"You... You spaced out, dummy." He chuckled. "Don't worry, I got you. Do you need some rest, or anything? Should I get you a bottle of water?" Worry shined in his eyes, aiming directly at the blonde-haired boy.

Daniel looked juvenile but more manly now. The purple streak of hair fell over his eyes and gave him his own personal creative mark, wearing their friendship bracelet that was a series of strings tied in a certain pattern. _And his deep, fond smile_.

"N-Nah. I'm great, Dan. Thanks." Chris beamed. "As long as you're okay, I'm okay. It's your night."

Daniel chuckled. "Without the team it would've been impossible. It's their night too." He said.

"Yeah. I know. Pete, and the rest."

"So, Pete, huh?" Daniel smiled again. "How did you become fond of him?"

Close to them, students were chanting Mia's name as she tried to drink a bottle of beer in one go. She was succeeding, gaining the cheers from many.

"Pete made me feel good just by being myself. Let's say... He's a really encouraging person. I really like that." Chris laughed, happy to have Daniel finally spend some fun time with him. No sneaking. No crying. No bullshit.

Daniel grinned in a brilliant way, catching his best friend's attention. He looked bright and calm, like nothing in the world could bother him in that moment. He looked triumphant and happy, but not because he won a match or whatever, but because he really looked like he was at peace with things.

"Yeah, Pete's really cool if you're chill." Daniel said, looking over towards his friend group. "Many people like him here."

"I really see why." Chris grinned. "I would love to keep on talking to him when class starts. In January."

Daniel pulled into a smile, biting his lip and lowering his head down. "Did... Did you like my friends?" He asked, a hint of hope balancing on his voice. The purple streak of hair didn't cover his eyes, but gave him a rebellious and friendly vibe at the same time. _It was so Daniel_.

"Of course I did. Pete was especially fun, and Harry's a piece of joke. Don't even get me started with Aaron. I'll get to know the rest sometime, but Pete and I got along pretty well. They're all out-going and relatable in their own way. I like them." Chris told him, taking a step closer.

Daniel kept smiling, his grin growing a bit. "Wow. That's... So cool and nice." He said, staring at Chris fondly.

"Pete was really friendly to me and helped me blend well with the rest. He came over to pick me up for the key thing and stuck to me throughout the evening. Always made sure I was having a nice time, and insisted on making things right between us." He said proudly, staring back at him with shining eyes.

Chris suddenly looked aside in a shy way, clutching to his oversized hoodie before staring to Daniel's dark pullover with the phrase "No Roles No Rules", all the way up to his neck and into his eyes. He liked them. They were brown, deep and cozy and sweet, like a home. Chris had read that someone's eyes were a portal to their soul, and the part of their body that never grew old. Maybe if he kept staring into his eyes old enough, they'd always be Superwolf and Captain Spirit. _Right?_

"Will you come over tonight?" He asked sweetly. His heart beated a bit faster now, well aware of their little incident in the office earlier. How close he had felt to his own lips and found himself wondering how would they actually taste, if they ever gave into that kiss. _Were they going to?_

Suddenly Daniel's eyes brightened up. They recovered so much light, that the blonde boy almost asked him what exactly had come out of his mouth.

"I thought you were going with Luca?" He asked.

"Heh. Well, about that..."

Daniel's eyes shined with curiosity.

"Luca and I are not really the best match. We had a small talk, well, he did most of it." Chris talked, while Daniel's heart stopped. "But he was nice to me, don't worry. I even suggested we did beers sometime."

Wait, what?

"What?" He asked. It didn't make sense. "No way, he likes you a lot. He wouldn't let you go now." 

"No, Dan. It's over." Chris said at last. "It was a mistake. We could've got hurt, both of us."

Silence. Daniel nodded, staring at Chris with an undecipherable expression. He felt confused, at the way his heart had ached because of Luca's fault before. Because of the way Luca had made Chris feel. _The way Chris wanted him back_. He had felt how everything he wanted slipped in between his fingers, realized how much he wanted Chris only to let him go, bawled his eyes out after celebrating a victory with his friends... And now they were over?

What the fuck?

"Chris... Are you sure you guys broke up?" He asked, frowning.

Chris melted into a comprehensive expression, shrugging.

"Yeah." He beamed. "It didn't work."

 _Oh. Okay, then_.

"Did... What happened earlier have something to do with it..?" Daniel proceeded to ask cautiously. His heart rate quickened at the memory of Chris's soft lips only millimetres close, dangerously emitting his breath on top of his own. Thing which sent electrical currents through his body and made him loose his mind again.

Yeah, _again_.

"Uh... I don't think so." Chris muttered, his voice dying down. "He didn't look sure about me long before it. It didn't feel real."

Daniel nodded, confused as ever. Really? Had Luca really left him? If this wasn't a joke, and Luca had really been feeling depressed over the bleachers in the corner of the room and Chris wouldn't be going home with him...

"Luca is just... He needs help, I think." Chris admitted. "He's not a bad person, Daniel. He really apologised for bullshitting me."

Daniel frowned. "Really?"

Wow.

"Yeah. He even promised to leave me out of the picture, and asked to leave him alone. To solve his crap on his own." Chris added. "I guess he couldn't drag on his lies for too long. And I thank him for letting me be."

Daniel had an undecipherable expression in his eyes, staring at the ground. Then he nodded at last, finally exhaling.

"You remained friends with him?"

"He asked for some space, but yeah, definitely." Chris beamed. "I still kind of hate him for dragging me into his insecure shit, but he really had a hand for the situation. It was the least decent thing to do."

Silence. Daniel looked over his shoulder, towards the black-haired figure that was having a beer on his own, his eyes glued to the ground and a defeated expression.

Damn. What an easy end of game.

And weird.

"Is... Everything okay with him?" Daniel asked, frowning.

"Nah, I don't think so." Chris admitted, crossing his arms. "He looks like he's having a hard time. Then felt so miserable that he couldn't drag me along furtherly. Then he let me go. Can't feel happy for his crap, but I can't hate him." He said. "I'm not the grudge type."

"Me neither." Daniel said, with another undecipherable expression. He remembered the way Luca had stared at him when they crossed eyes in the football field. He didn't hold hate in them, or jealousy, or evilness. They had held something else.

He finally exhaled, calm. He didn't understand why Luca had done that, but it all certainly felt more fair now. At last.

Chris chuckled again. "So, uh..."

Daniel looked at him with mischeviousness through hooded eyes. Then he melted into a smile too.  
"What?" He asked in a soft voice.

"I'll... Uh. I was thinking I could crash for the night already. I'm not really into this hype for too long." Chris chuckled, shy. He scratched his elbow, thinking. "I'm tired from sneaking and stealing and stuff."

 _And stuff. Yeah_. Daniel had loved "that stuff". Nevertheless, he didn't push it. He didn't want to.

His heart fluttered with that same feeling he had when Chris had clutched close, back in the office. When his beautiful eyes had aimed at him, seeing his own future shine before him, his silky gold hair shining under the moonlight and his soft, calm and sedate hands cupping his cheek. Everything he wanted in life right now had a name, and a glimmer of its own.

Could he have everything he wanted next door? _Fuck, he was scared about what all of those things could do to him._

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll party just fine with Pete and the rest." He said. "Feel free to tuck in bed, prepare a mug of hot chocolate and snuggle in bed with Mushroom..." He said, brushing his hands in a caring way past Chris's front shoulders, his tone mild and soft. Chris bit his lip.

 _Daniel loved it_.

Then they heard it. Both of them pulled away from their embrace, as they watched how a pack of students bursted the doors open and walked into the gym with angry expressions, searching the gym for a familiar face.

 _Fuck_. Chris thought.

"Let's get out. Now." Daniel exclaimed, starting to panic.

"Yeah." Chris said, instinctively gripping to his wrist.

They had definitely told them they would come back if they weren't careful. Daniel had tried to remain in peace with the leader of that small but strong pack, but was unable to since his involuntary use of his superpowers had betrayed him.


	9. Secrets & Thunder

That was right. Since many years ago, Daniel had been having unexplainable, intermittent and telekinetic superpowers that he ought to hide from everyone else to avoid unnecessary questions and... Exposure, basically. The events at the bathroom in the morning had been one of the many he had experienced ever since four years ago, when those mysterious new powers had arrived to his life to confuse and disorient him. Because ever since he had them, his whole life was a question.

_A question with no answer, of course._

He had met Carver when they were on a high school hiking trip to a very beautiful and protected mountain, clinging onto Chris's wrist while they dodged some rocks, when he accidentally tripped over one. Involuntarily, he had extended both of his hands in front of him and pushed Carver without even knowing. Carver was carrying his phone, which broke with the unfortunate fall, and had ranted to Daniel on for hours. Their little trip to a majestic and beautiful landscape surrounded by rivers and extended forest parks, all reduced to a grumpy Carver being all mad and rageful. Even Chris had tried to lift his spirits up when they had all stopped for a sandwich next to a lake.

_"Forget it, Dan. You just tripped, and accidentally pushed him. It's not a big deal, hey?" Chris had told him, brushing a hand past his shoulder while the wind flipped his hair. They had sat on top of a log, in front of the shore to calm down a sad Daniel. Even Craig had come along to downplay the issue. Daniel grimaced, biting from Chris's baguette before staying in silence._

But that wasn't the reason of Carver's rage. Once, was an accident. Twice was mocking. That was what exactly happened, when Daniel and the gang had been kicking the ball in the field rashly, sending it to shit when they had kicked it up too high, landing on Carver's head who was having his snack on the stairs. Result? Craig and Aaron had to pull Daniel and Carver apart from killing each other with punches.

The tension was bearable for a while, until Carver could finally realize Daniel just had a bad start. The real problem started when Carver's little sister started preferring to go and visit Daniel for a hug and a little chat instead of spending time with her older brother. Daniel had lifted Jodie up in the air playfully before gifting her a bag of sweets from the canteen, and Carver interrupted telling him off, saying he could feed his own sister just fine. Daniel proceeded to apologize, but then the sister dropped the bomb by saying " _It's not his fault that you weren't accepted into the football team. And by far, he treats me nicer than you. You don't even talk to me or play with me anymore. Family ties are bullshit_."

Now Carver Neilson was officially hating him until death. The cause of his eternal hate though, was when he found out Daniel had been helping little Jodie with her homework, and came towards the Diaz teenager cracking his knuckles, and lost the fight. Daniel had used his powers against him distinctly, in a way that only him could know. Badly for him, Carver found out he was cheating, and couldn't explain why. That was the reason of his eternal hate.

He didn't understand why he lost many important things to him, when they were supposedly an accident.

 _They were all truly accidents_.

(Thunderstruck - **ACDC** )

Chris and Daniel knew it was their moment to run now. Fast.

_Thunder_

They walked quickly towards Aaron and the rest, dodging students and Gwenyth, who was practicing the twerk dance for her friends and a crowd of students. When Chris and Daniel burst into the scene, the girl and her spectators moved apart, surprised.

_Thunder_

Their hearts started beating faster, but certainly not because of physical closeness or mutual attraction, but because of the way that danger floated in the air, smelling them as they swayed through students and little crowds.

_Thunder_

Chris looked behind his shoulder, checking where Carver could be. Effectively, he was forming fists and walking ragefully, searching for them. His black leather jacket was shining under the light and his hair fell over his eyes, dangerously and bold. His friends also searched around, hate and despair firing from their eyes.

_Thunder_

Chris hid behind Daniel's back, who was energetically walking over to his friend's crowd. Then he turned back some centimetres, looking into Chris's wild eyes and grabbing his hand softly.

"We'll be okay, baby." He said with a croaked voice.

Chris's inner senses exploded like a blackout. His heart quickened the same way a bright blush spread over his cheeks, threatening with leaving him with no air left. The breathtaking moment of their bodies so menacingly near, already touching each other with clothes on, their lips about to brush against the other...

The slight touch of his fingertips had been enough to leave him starving for more, when their eyes met under the moonlight. _They really had no idea when they were kids, about the things they would be keen about_.

"We will." Chris replied, looking completely and deliberately lovestruck. His mind raced, wild and alive, while Daniel observed him back with adoration.

 _What a life_.

It was that moment when they heard the loud punch.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

"You okay there, mate?"

Pete and Aaron had arrived over to the bleachers with three beers in hand and a pitiful expression, looking over at the lonely and sad figure sitting there.

Pete grimaced.

"What?" Luca asked, looking up with a confused expression. There were tear stains in his eyes and had dark circles under them; he seemed like he was about to crash hard right there after deciding that parties weren't suitable for his introvert nature anymore.

Aaron shifted, passing the black-haired guy one of the cans and Pete the resulting one, keeping the last one to himself. Then they both sat on either Luca's sides, and opened their cans at unison.

"What are the chances Mia is going to score tonight?" Aaron asked with a fun tone, looking over at Pete who beamed softly. He took a sip from his can.

Silence.

"I don't think she's sober enough to consent, so I'm not sure." Luca answered. Both of the guys looked over at him, then sharing a surprised look in between themselves.

"That was a tricky question..." Pete nodded, surprised. Then he pointed out. "The answer is right."

"Not bad, doctor Falls." Aaron congratulated him in a soft voice. "At least we know who to call to give us a ride home." He smiled.

In front of them, Mia and Gwenyth were talking animatedly, as the first one was becoming more and more outgoing. Cecily and Chloe were listening to Craig's joke, who was meant to cheer Mia up. Soon, the four of them were laughing and throwing shapes together.

"Mia's a nice person. She'll do great after she graduates." Luca nodded towards her, taking another sip from his can. "I can just tell by the way she puts that passion into things."

"One time she helped me very wholeheartedly on math work. Then we had a little drink at the canteen, we talked about her life back in Michigan. I told her mine." Aaron added. "A nice teacher and a nice listener."

Luca stared over at Mia, who wore blonde curly hair now styled straight, a floral long-sleeved dress with thick leggings and some warm boots, and a heavy jean jacket over her shoulders to stay warm. Her confidentness had slowly developed throughout the year, after she met Cecily and her people. She finally had someone to call them her friends, and encouraged her to be herself despite what she thought about her persona. Now, she was as bright as a spark.

"Yeah. Mia's a true one. She finds it hard to blend in, but once she's shed a spark, she doesn't stop glowing. Charming and sweet." Luca smiled finally, looking over at the student with an undecipherable expression.

"And steezy?" Pete chuckled. _Was she really that cool?_

Silence. The people cheered and screamed over the music, dancing along to songs and lifting their cups up before playing drinking games over a ping-pong table. A few feet away from there stood Chris and Daniel, who were talking animatedly and sharing a comfortable and fun vibe, trying to suppress the small tension tingling innocently in between them. Suddenly Luca stared towards the ground, depressed.

Pete averted his eyes towards him.

"Luca, what had gotten into you? You were being a narcissistic bitch." He suddenly prompted, observing the way that the smoker boy purposely avoided either of them. Aaron exhaled, deep and calm. "Dude, you know that's just not the way we do things."

The black haired boy didn't provide any answers. Instead, he just took another long sip from his beer, pretending to hide the sad look in his eyes.

"Luca, you were one of us. You were all smiles, you played football like a pro, you used to play skateboard tricks. You used to do your own thing and include us. You were a bro to us." Aaron confessed.

Luca's stare weakened even more. He looked down to his can of beer, shaking it in soft circles. He shrugged softly, unable to answer.

"Did you really want Chris _that_ bad?" Pete chuckled.

Silence. Luca started shedding tears, his body stiff and quiet like a rock. His eyes reflected a whole inner world of suffering, pain and unfairness that Pete found himself feeling emphatic towards.

"Bro..." Aaron started, his eyes saddening as he hovered over to Luca's body.

"I want... Daniel." Luca cried out softly. "I was about to forget him."

Silence. Pete widened his eyes as he parted his lips, Aaron mirroring him. They both exhaled heavily, clutching to their beer or leaving it aside. Aaron stared over at Luca's knees, while the first one brushed his face with his hands.

Pete then frowned in a melancholic way, biting his nail as he thought.

"Man..." He said with a softer voice. "Come on... Don't tell me this now."

Nevertheless, Luca wiped some tears away from his eyes and sat up, whipping his bangs away and recomposing himself. Then he exhaled slowly, staring over at them quickly.

"I didn't mean to do any harm." He sniffed distinctly. "I told Chris so he could be happy instead of me."

 _So that's what they had talked about_ , thought Pete. Then he placed both his knees in Luca's direction. Aaron slapped the black-haired boy's back softly, leaning towards him a bit.

"I saw you talking with Chris earlier. I could tell something had happened." Pete said.

Luca nodded, sniffling softly.

"Luca." The redhead one insisted.

He didn't answer.

Aaron exhaled deeply and soft, recomposing himself while he looked over at his ex-friend.

"Luca, stop pushing us away. We've always missed you." Pete said in a softer voice. "Stop plotting and doing bullshit. Stop making people's lives impossible and come back." Then he looked over at his hair, the stains under his eyes and thought about the many times that the smoker boy had pushed them all away.

Luca denied with his head, holding back more tears. Then he sniffled again and placed his elbows over his knees, thoughtful.

"I'm proud of you for letting Chris be happy. I really am. We couldn't have asked for more from you." Pete continued. Aaron nodded in agreement. "But we're still missing a bro here."

Luca shed another tear, his chin almost wobbling. Then he placed his palms over his eyes, closing them shut. Aaron leant over and got up, standing to walk towards Luca, before kneeling in front of him.

"Listen, dude. I know that your angel hurts you more than you ever want to admit. We've all been there. I know it took you your own time to cope and get through the worst parts, but you really pushed us away. That really wore out our relationship, yenno?" Aaron spoke for the first time.

Luca closed his eyes to let another tear roll over his cheek.

"And we know you were too attached to trust anyone at the moment. That pushed you furtherly away. We really missed you a lot for a while, dude."

"I just couldn't believe you did that earlier, Luca. You weren't yourself. Your pores screamed insecurity, pain and loss." Pete added. "And that totally took over you."

Luca finally took his hands off his face, revealing a blushing face from crying. His deep colourful eyes were humid, and his nose red from sniffling hard. _Did they really have to bring that out now?_

"Guys, I..." Luca tried to say. But his voice died down as he tried to start.

Aaron placed hands over his knees, brushing past them softly. Then he crossed his arms over Luca's legs and placed his chin on top, staring at the smoker boy up-close. Pete's stare saddened a bit, ruffling a hand past the black-haired boy's hair.

But nothing came out of Luca's mouth, as he proceeded to have a mental breakdown. Deliberate sobs slipped out of his tensed lips as he grabbed his own bangs and tug at them, fighting not to cry out. Pete slipped an arm over his neck and embraced him a bit, trying to raise his spirits while Aaron's eyes watered a bit.

 _Old things never changed_.

"Dude. Why do you always seem to keep coming back even after you pushed us away entirely?" Pete chuckled as he lazily combed his friend's hair with his hand. Then his eyes softened. "Why is it that we never drift away completely? Could that be a sign?" Pete's voice turned milder.

Luca let out a depleted sob, followed by a relieved exhale. That was the green flag Aaron needed to hug Luca's legs from where he was standing, allowing Pete to finally hug his old friend from the side.

"I'm really proud of you. For what you did with Chris, with how you coped, how you did it all." Pete continued. "I'm not going to force our friendship, but that was decent from you. Penny Badge for you."

" _Heh_. You still remember that?" Luca chuckled while sobbing, still squeaking it out with a heavy breath.

"Two Penny Badges." Aaron added, showing two fingers in the most relaxed and calm way. Luca ended up beaming, at last.

Pete finally pulled away, grinning. "Hey, it's not bad after years of not exchanging Badges for anything. Not even a free _Monster_ can."

"You owe me a _Mango Loco_." Luca chuckled, still crying. "I still keep that bet."

"True." Aaron nodded, closing his eyes to remember five drunk faces throwing darts onto a bullseye, in exchange for a free can from _Seven Eleven_. The day after it they had to write a test with a hangover.

Pete closed his eyes, groaning. "You fucker, I had forgot about that. Root of minus b..."

Aaron started chuckling. "Man, don't even talk about that day. I was terrible."

"I didn't even see straight when I tried to copy down the answers. The teacher got so weirded out at my calligraphy." Luca beamed, sniffling softly. "I even started writing an answer on the table and continuing on the paper. So messed."

"The rant you let out in Drama club was legendary." Aaron said in between giggles, covering his eyebrow with his thumb and index finger.

Luca snorted quietly. Pete beamed, closing his eyes with fun.

 _A wasted and hungover_ _Luca opened his eyes like a frog, showing the notorious redness on them and his dark circles, under the attention of surprised and wide-mouthed classmates._

_"You say you didn't get an A+, huh? It's unfair to be acted upon against your will, huh?" Luca wobbled in a wasted voice towards the clean record student who had just cried over an A-, followed by bickering from the students sitting in the back. "Well, gonna tell you something, 'Hamlet'." Giggles. "I just lost all of my inner characters at the moment. Like chess pieces, all dead, boom. Not even my man works right now."_

_The back row burst into laughs, mostly from the other hungover students._

_"Sometimes we're going to win, sometimes we are going to suck. There's a time for all, my young padawan. But whatever you do, just realize there's a Robin Hood bitch named 'life' waiting for you to lower your guard. The roses got spikes, man. And you know_ _whinies_ _are just that bitch's favorite course, my friend. You don't wanna waste_ _all that intelligence on yours on beating us all, right? Even if you run for miles ahead of us, we'll still look like ants in your horizon, you'll always get a hold of it. But there are little milestones in the way you're leaving behind, little Peyton. Looks at your face, man, looks like you didn't have fun in ages."_

_Silence._

_"Just_ _work on that wank a bit. It'll do you good, I promise."_

 _The class exploded into laughs_.

"I was so wasted." Luca covered his eyes, laughing softly. Pete and Aaron shared funny looks.

"Peyton didn't want to hang out with us for a week." Aaron recalled. "Then he eventually took it as a joke."

"He was _so_ pissed." Pete chuckled.

Then the doors opened. A pack of students walked in, pressing their knuckles while searching for a concrete pair of faces.

Luca's body freezed, looking over at Carver with a terrified expression, before a jolt of adrenaline hit his body, making him stand up. Pete let out a loud "fuck", unhappy for the blue uninvited. Aaron shifted apart quickly, blinking twice.

 _Instantly_.

Then it all happened fast. Luca searched for the pair of troubled teenagers that had been hanging out close to the snacks table, who were now conscious of the new party attendants and had sneaked through some students. Carver, Adam, Frederic and Bradley (a guy from Chris's study group) made their way through the hectic and transformed gym in direction to Daniel Diaz.

Or in other words, their worst enemy.

Luca turned towards Pete, who stopped in his tracks. Then he grabbed his wrist softly.

"Please, help them. I'll take care of Carver." Luca said with an undecipherable expression in his eyes, letting go of Pete before climbing down the bleachers in direction to the gang.

"Luca, wait!" Pete exclaimed without success. The boy didn't even turn back to look at Pete and Aaron's horrified expressions.

_Thunder_

The black-haired boy's feet stomped on the basketball field as he arrived to the class's improvised dance floor, sprinkled with confetti and drink stains here and there. His black Vans were worn out and his tennis socks still gripped to their original colour, as Luca made his way towards Carver and his friends. When he locked eyes on them, Bradley was talking to Adam about something, followed by the second's smirk.

_Thunder_

The smoker boy proceeded to frown. If there was something he hated more than loosing, was someone messing around with his friends. Or his _friend's_ friends. He already pressed his knuckles, narrowing his eyesight amd mentally preparing for what he was about to witness and experience.

_Rode down the highway_

He turned around his heels to find out Bradley was smirking, while Adam took out a knife from his pockets. He immediately changed his objective towards the concrete person, who was wearing the dangerous weapon.

_Broke the limit, we hit the town_

As soon as Bradley saw Luca in the distance storming towards them, he nudged Carver on the shoulder, frowning his eyes while the rest mirrored him. The moment when Carver had pushed his perfect and silky hair back and fixed his firing eyes with Luca's, both knew their battle had started. They both frowned in direction to the other and walked closer from opposite directions.

_Went through to Texas, yeah Texas, and we had some fun_

_We met some girls_   
_Some dancers who gave a good time_

Carver smirked without pity, letting out a soft chuckle that mocked Luca even more, who now elevated a sudden but unimpressed eyebrow, as if he were sarcastically making fun of him. At that moment, some students were already turning around to look at them, a little scared or clutching to their friends. A person in the crowd yelled out that someone was going to fight, which gathered even more people.

_Broke all the rules_

_Played all the fools_

_Yeah yeah they, they, they blew our minds_

As soon as they both met, they stood three feet apart and looked at each other with flames burning in their eyes, aiming them at each other. Like they were ready to tear each other anytime. Carver snatched the knife away from Adam, not breaking their eye contact anytime.

_And I was shaking at the knees_

Luca cocked his head to the side, seeming not to care that it was his very own lonely ass against four people. He then stared at Carver's shoes, knowing that psychological trick very well. That was like chess; you didn't just play, you also intimidated your opponent.

_Could I come again please_

_Yeah them ladies were too kind_

_You've been_

Carver suddenly widened his eyes.

That was the moment Luca Falls threw a punch into his face. A punch everybody was looking, throwing a collective cheer, before Carver stumbled backwards and almost fell.

_Thunderstruck_


	10. Blaze from us

Daniel and Chris now both shifted towards the punch they had just heard, gasping when they figured out who the author of that violent act had been. They immediately took some steps closer towards the confrontation, their hearts out of rate. The blonde and short boy felt like blasting out at any second now, as more and more things that he didn't approve of and practice continued to happen in front of him. Especially that day.

They took quick and heavy steps towards the commotion happening under the disco ball, where a shocked and euphoric crowd watched the unfair fight between Carver and his friends versus Luca on his own. Four against one? _Was Luca out of his mind?_ Chris thought.

Daniel, on the other hand, was shitfaced. He looked horrified how who seemed to have been his opponent in the unfair and chemical game of love and attraction, was now standing up for a guy that wanted to end him. It didn't make fucking sense. Hadn't he been hating him? Why was he settling accounts with his worst enemy, then?

His mind echoed him a possible answer, but shook it away. He observed the crazy scene happening before him: a mad and insane Carver holding onto his bleeding nose while Adam held his arm, Fred and Bradley already dashing in his direction mad. Nevertheless, Luca was able to dodge them both with his purple _karate_ belt knowledgement. Chris's study group mate and his friend both hurled, confused.

"Luca, _what the fuck_ are you doing? He's got three other guys wanting to end your ass!" Daniel screamed instinctively. His eyes flashed a scared expression, unconsciously worried for Luca's security.

Luca cocked his head to the side, in his direction, before blowing his bangs away from his eyes. Then he beamed.

"It's okay, little boys. I'm gonna take care." He joked before dodging Bradley's surprise fist. Then he pushed him sideways to the floor by practicing a skillful trick.

The crowd exploded into cheers. After it Pete, Aaron and Harry joined them, asking "what the fuck" was Luca doing. After Chris's whiny "I dunno", the five of them watched how Luca managed to push Bradley aside successfully before being attacked by Carver, Adam and Fred at the same time.

Daniel and Pete stepped into action, both of them hurrying over towards Adam and Fred respectively, and Harry dashing to pull Carver away. They were able to step into the fighting circle and grab their tense and rageful bodies without getting knocked on the ground, and were able to hold them back for some while when Jensen held Bradley and Craig held Luca back.

"Luca, calm down. This ain't your fight!" Craig yelled at him when he got hold of him after many pushing and pulling. "Don't make yourself an enemy!"

But Luca tried to free himself from his old friend's grip.

"Craig, you have no idea how strong Carver really is! He's going to hurt Daniel!" He screamed, kicking the ground impotently. "Only I could stop him!"

Craig gripped on his other arm, trying to look into his eyes and make the guy understand.

"Luca, this is not the way!" Craig screamed into his ear, impatient. "Don't fucking do this, dude!"

Suddenly it hit Luca. A jolt of creativity scurried to his brain, making him lock eyes with Daniel, who was holding Adam back.

"You fucking bitch!" Carver screamed, trying to free himself from Harry. "You dare to mock me, make fun of me, lie to me, put me against my own family? You have _no_ idea who you're messing around with." He yelled to Daniel, who now put Adam in front of Carver's face to put something in between them. Someone. Anything.

"What the fuck is your problem, Carver?" Chris yelped, over the music. "My family helped you! We used to be friends!"

Carver enraged, his face turning a bright red. He tried to knock Harry away using his elbows, but he failed as the football member's arms were too strong.

Then Chris turned towards the blonde boy who was under Jensen's grip.

"Bradley, seriously? We were pals, and we lended each other notes from class. This is how you treat me? Sticking out a knife towards my friends?" Chris huffed. "That's so pathetic from you. From all of you." He yelled, looking into all of their eyes. _He didn't include Luca's though_.

Luca close his eyes shut.

"Please, Craig! I have an idea..." Luca cried out. He tried to free himself, but Craig was as strong as steel.

"Dude, I'm sorry. We just can't let people punch each other. And less at a party." Craig told him in a lower voice. "We'll take care."

Luca looked downwards, deceived.

"We missed you, Luca." Craig added with a whisper.

The black-haired boy beamed shortly in Craig's direction, who still gripped his hands against his will. The dark brown haired boy smiled back towards the smoker one, before focusing on the wild gang they were holding back.

"I need to talk to Daniel." Luca said in between heavy breaths. "It's urgent. I know how to stop Carver once and for all." He huffed. "It's very random, but we don't really have an option now, since they're all violent and keen for blood."

Craig looked at him unsure, waiting for Luca to lock eyes with him. When they did, seconds later, he denied with his head. The rest of them were holding Carver and his members, ignoring their complaints while Chris killed Bradley with his eyes.

"Y-You can't. You and Daniel will kill each other." He frowned, yelling.

"We won't. I wouldn't let that happen." Luca yelled back. His friend huffed, exasperatedly.

Suddenly he let both his arms go, freeing the guy from his grip. Luca could still feel Craig's body close though, whispering into his ear. "Please don't bring any more drama. We'll get in trouble already for the punch."

The black haired boy just exhaled more relieved now, looking into Craig's grey eyes, and nodded. He could read his friend's worried look perfectly though.

Craig walked over to Daniel, who was holding Adam, and held his arms for the brown haired boy. Then he gestured towards Luca with his head, shushing Adam. Daniel stumbled back, confused, before locking eyes with the one responsible for that drama. _Well, for his whole day's drama._

Daniel stared incredulously towards smoker boy standing a couple of feet away. He fixed his glimmer in his, while Luca observed back with a passionate look. _He couldn't believe it_.   
He hadn't really forgotten what had happened two years ago.

The youngest Diaz member pulled away and walked over to Luca, to whom he whispered dramatically. "Why."

Luca's stare weakened. "I wasn't going to take him away from you. I had no idea you were both on that level."

Daniel huffed. "Come on, Luca, don't bullshit me too. Maybe you tried to trick Chris because he was hurt, but I'm as sober as I've always been."

Luca felt a hurtful sting stab him in the heart. Was Daniel really going to take it that way? Sure, he felt ashamed of his actions, but he didn't count on the fact that Daniel could have such a big grudge against him even after stepping back. _Was it unforgivable?_

_Oh no._

"I didn't mean to break anything. I thought I had a chance because he seemed reluctant."

"And you suggested _I_ was reluctant instead?" Daniel replied to him with a hurt look. "Do you realize how many times I've tried to tell Chris I love him?"

Luca gulped, hurt.

"What about me, huh?" The smoker boy said with tears in his eyes.

Daniel stared back at him, making a pitiful grimace and averting his eyes almost ashamed.

"It happened one year ago, Luca. We were both on a trip, too fucking wasted and comfortable." He said, watching how Luca's self esteem seemed to decompose in front of him. "It was fun, but it was just our hobbie. For the trip."

Luca closed his eyes, trying not to cry. What seemed to have been the most fun week of his life, the school skiing trip full of confidential kisses and secrets under the covers, was just a fun and past memory about what had been his first high school love.

"You played me." Luca sobbed.

"I didn't. _We_ played." Daniel corrected him. "I swear, it was awesome, and I'm glad I did it with you. But who I'm truly in love with, is Chris."

Luca nodded, gulping his tears, wanting to push everyone away from the room and be just the two of them, and do some closure. Nevertheless, they were holding back a gang of violent idiots who were going to aim their knifes at them.

"I'm sorry about Chris. I really pulled away when I realized he was into you. Because that's what happened, right?" He said with glitter in his eyes.

Daniel gulped. His eyes stared into Luca's own, sadness spreading all over his face. They had had so much fun together that week. They had been both innocent and clumsy, trying fun and sloppy kissing while everyone else was hanging around in the main hall playing board games or uploading _tiktok_ 's. Daniel had found Luca really attractive back then, but it was all a memory now. Who he truly loved was next door, and had shared many more intimate times together.

"Daniel, I'm not asking you for anything. I pulled away as soon as I realized the deal." Luca said. "I got interested in Chris, because... Damn. It's _Chris_."

"Yeah." Daniel replied with his same saddened look. "I guess he is."

"I know you guys cheated in the office. I can just tell. And when I did, I broke up with Chris right away." Luca said, uncrossing his arms.

Daniel stared at him with hooded eyes. He stared at his pose, grimacing a bit before looking into his eyes again. _Well, he was actually right_. They could've been a resented first love, but Luca wasn't a total asshole.

"Luca, I'm sorry for breaking your heart." He apologised wholeheartedly, taking a step closer.

"I'm sorry for breaking yours." Luca shrugged, unable to break their eye contact. "I really am. My bad, for real."

Daniel returned that mournful look, feeling almost sorry for Luca's feelings. _After all, it had been the both of them at some point, and didn't want to remember his first time so bitterly._

Silence. Both of them stared into each other's eyes, each one emitting a different type of fire. The guys around them were staring at each other, surprised at the direction that their conversation had taken, while Carver and his gang complained about the distraction.

"Oh, come on!" Bradley suddenly commented, trying to force himself out of Jensen's grip. "This is who you two are fighting over? What a fucking cunt." He spit, disgusted.

Daniel and Luca, both more pacific now, both turned towards the boy with repulsive expressions. Jensen tried to grasp him furtherly, punishing him for his disrespectful comment while the rest of them shared collective groans and cursing. 

"Don't open your mouth, you idiot!" Carver whispered loudly. 

Chris stepped in direction to the centre of the circle, walking towards Bradley until their faces met. When their faces were close, he stopped. 

Everyone watched tense how Chris's tense body stiffed next to Bradley's, his eyes hardening. 

"You have no idea of who Daniel is, jerk." He said in the most fearful voice he ever pronounced, making Daniel's hairs go up. Everyone else widened their eyes, scared at Chris's harsh tone. 

"Leave them alone, Bradley." Luca exclaimed. 

But Bradley just huffed along with Adam. 

"To what? You? You're telling me what to do? I thought you were different. In the end, you're just an ass-kisser. Feel bad for your actions and then you try and make things right even though you fucking well took advantage on Chris. You're another fucking cunt. Cunt." He said, spitting the last word like it was venom. Then Luca's eyes weakened. "Tsssch. What a fucking pussy." He chuckled recklessly. 

"Yo, watch your mouth." Chris continued in his deep and enraged tone that kept sending chills to the students around him. 

"You don't know who you're messing around with." Craig said, followed by a collective mutter. 

"You better not. He's our friend." Jensen added. 

"Exactly." Aaron muttered loud enough. 

Luca's eyes recovered some light. 

"I'm fucking finding you when the party's over, Daniel Spic Diaz. And my knife will be the only one tasting you tonight." Carver threatened with a deep and menacing tone. 

Daniel widened his eyes. 

"EEEEYYYYYYYY!" Pete stomped his left foot while yelling with the highest voice he could make, startling them all. Carver and his gang kept trying to free themselves, but we're unable to. 

Silence. 

Carver stared towards Daniel with profound hate, tearing him off with just the look of his eyes. The Diaz member crossed his arms, thinking about his own security for a minute. 

Luca leaned over to whisper to him. "We're going to need a pair of stairs and your special handicap." He said close to his ear. "It's cheesy and random, but it's the only thing we have." 

Daniel widened his eyes even more. 

"From where, Luca." He asked. 

"The net." He beamed shortly. Daniel inhaled nervous while sharing glances with Luca. 

"How... How do you know?" Daniel asked, scared. 

"I've seen you do it before." Luca beamed shy. "Back when I didn't even know you." 

Daniel's pulse quickened. "You knew since that long?" He asked afraid. Then he received the black haired boy's nod, before looking over to the gang with widened eyes. Fuck. 

Luca stared over at him, searching for his agreement. 

"Okay, fuck it. Let's do this." Daniel whispered back, biting his black nail and staring with worried eyes towards Carver and company. 

Luca's grin finally appeared, nudging him softly before proceeding to walk over to the end of the room, when he was stopped in his tracks by Bradley's comment. 

"Okay, so let me get this straight. You're such angels and nice people that you can't even take an opinion without going wild and behave like fucking cops?" Bradley chuckled. "What fucking type of justice is this?" 

"The problem is that your justice involves violence and knifes, and we don't really do things like that in this place." Pete attacked back. 

"You tryna be a big man, but you're here making a fool out of yourself proving to everyone that you're everything but peaceful." Added his friend. "I'm sorry to say this to you, mate, but your opinion doesn't work for us. You can't come in here shaking a knife in front of us." Craig said with an angry voice. 

"Boo-hoo." Carver exclaimed, pissed off. "The angel is the devil and so on. Not buying your bullshit." He spit. Then he gained everyone else's disgusted looks. 

Bradley didn't announce end of game yet, though. He wasn't yet ready to leave without being upfront. 

"So, tell me something, Chris." He started, already receiving the blonde boy's rolled eyes. "How does it feel to kiss the ass of someone who's ignored you this whole time and hasn't come back to you until you moved on? Doesn't that appear to you as, I dunno, a red flag?" He chuckled. Chris's stare weakened. "Huh. Like I didn't already know." 

Daniel widened his eyes. "You know nothing about us." 

Bradley huffed. "You're a jerk, Daniel. Don't even try and convince me. You have these two guys crying over you, and you didn't even care about Chris before he joined Luca. You're a selfish prick. You didn't even have one guy bawling over you. You have two and both of them are into you." He spit. "I used to believe in Luca. With his flower theory shit. Being the water to become the leader and owner of your own destiny." He said in an exaggerated voice. "I dunno, Chris. Hasn't Luca at least given you useful advice? On how not to fall in love with pricks? Or are you just another withered stem?" He said, continuing to push. 

Chris gulped, thinking about the conversation he had had with Luca at the garden. What? 

"Yeah, exactly." Bradley spit, while the others listened, not yet letting their recluted ones go. "You're just a withered flower tore by this fucking prick named Daniel and who used you, who uses you all to be famous and popular because that's what filthy spics do." He finished with a hateful voice. 

Daniel brushed his finger past his own fist, enraged like he'd never been before. Then he leant over to Luca, who almost startled at his sudden mood change. 

"You're going to grab them all, not just Carver." He whispered with a dark voice. 

Luca's hairs went up, half shocked and half lovestruck, falling for Daniel's dangerous and lively appearance all over again. He nodded, biting his lips with adoration towards his rebellious side. 

Harry yelled at them all to shut up, while Adam tried some physical tricks to free himself, almost succeeding. The pair of arms that were holding him back kicked him on their feet, punishing them. Adam cursed. 

Chris's eyes watered, instead. His eyes were lost, weak and fragile, but were staring into Bradley's eyes like a bullet, strong and fierce. He wished he could hit him, yell back, push away the idea that Daniel could be using him or get tired of him. After all, he had come back only after he joined Luca. But he really didn't realize what he felt for Daniel until he was in the same situation, right? Hadn't he made the same mistakes, too? Wasn't that a symbiotic dynamic? 

With that idea in mind, he took a step closer and sniffed back his sobs, not letting them out anymore. His eyes, red and humid, aimed at him with all of his courage left, and talked. 

He just talked. 

"I. Am. No one's. Property." Chris growled, pronouncing each word harder and harsher than the one before. His voice was heavy but paced, secure, and cool. 

Harry and Craig looked over at him as well as Pete, Aaron, Jensen, Daniel and Luca. Especially Daniel. The ones who were stopped by the heavy arms still complained, but also listened. 

"Daniel is the sweetest, funniest and bravest boy I've ever met. I will never be proud of everything, that's impossible. We'll have hard times, and argue like all." He said, unaware of the look Daniel was giving him in that second. "You suckers can all go to hell and watch the end of the world together. But if Daniel's condemned to be a broken stem because of all of your bullshit and I'm the water that flows through it all, too different and unstable to remain together, I'll be the water that keeps him from withering. I'll be that water for him." Chris finished, with an encouraged, brave and lively expression in his eyes. 

Daniel's heart activity stopped all at once. Luca was shitfaced. Pete grinned like a lunatic, while Harry, Craig, Jensen and Aaron looked at each other with a surprised look. 

"He went through bullshit that no one at his age should've gone through, and he didn't turn into a prick because of it. He didn't stick out knives because his father died, or because his mother left, or because he had a prick neighbour that took every opportunity to try and oppress him because of his ancestry. He was never one of those things, and he never will. That's what makes him different from all you four losers." He yelled, vocalizing each and every word with rage and passion at the same time. Then he held his breath before speaking his last sentence, while everyone looked at each other, some happier than others. "And I love Daniel Diaz. I love him." He yelled with impotency. 

Silence. 

Daniel's heart melted. The glitter in his eyes turning brighter and the red colour continued to spread all over his cheek, burning it with a hot and restless sensation. _Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god._ Chris's words managed to make their way into a special place in Daniel's heart, finding a sweet spot that made the brown haired boy sigh calmly, slowly, and deliberately in love. 

"Oh my god." He spoke out loud. Luca shifted beside him, beaming softly. Pete cursed under his breath, biting his lip while the rest opened their mouths or smiled like the redhead was. 

Chris turned to face his best friend, blushing to the tip of his head. He was gasping at the moment, with the most passionate and committed look he had ever had all across his face. He fixed his greyish and blue eyes on Daniel's, for a second, whispering him the only words he had been keen on hearing ever since he realized he had feelings for him. His eyes were alive, impassioned and zealous, shining for Daniel. 

"Stay, please." 

_I love you. I love you. I love you._ Daniel thought, staring at him back with the most undecipherable expression he ever gave him. Chris chuckled breathlessly and windedly. 

That was the only wordless phrase that Daniel needed to react. 

"Help me." He said, nudging Luca on his shoulder, who blinked and resumed his way towards the stairs resting in the corner of the room. 

Pete whistled. "What should we do with these little gangsters, Aaron?" 

Aaron grimaced. 

The rest of the students watched around all of them, putting their phones back or packing their stuff. A big portion of them had escaped through the back door, not wanting to get involved in a former fight. The remaining students, though, had sat on the bleachers or stood a few feet away from the football players, who were retaining the gang members. 

Mia was one of them, who was placing a hand over her mouth, a little scared. Pete realized this when he saw her in the distance, and his eyes softened in her direction. _Was... Was she doing okay? For what he could see from his place, she seemed troubled_. Pete frowned, grimacing a bit while he thought about his friend's kind words about her.

Daniel and Luca both arrived to the big staircase that was lying on the floor, and the Diaz member bent over the huge object before sticking out his hand, extending it towards it. Luca blinked, watching how his hand continued to create a small force field that emanated from his palm and onto the object, that started to become more and more light. 

"Your turn, Falls." He breathed, looking at him with hooded eyes. He beamed softly towards him, looking into his eyes for a second. 

Luca Falls's eyes had finally started shining there, in the middle of the vast situation. He didn't feel jealous, or mad. The smoker boy looked peaceful, like he had finally solved a long and hard equation that had almost taken over him. 

Then he chuckled. 

"Thanks, Daniel. For it all." Luca said with a peaceable and tranquil expression. "For what happened back then, for now. I'm glad Chris found his way back to you." 

Silence. Daniel's hands still held the object, which he mantained in the air with a little extra effort. He flipped his hair away from his eyes, aiming a calm stare at him. 

"Thanks for letting Chris be happy, and for giving me a chance to get things right with him. Good things will eventually come back to you like this." Luca returned his smile now. "It's been a while since we all were the Penny Badges Football Team." He said with a smooth voice. 

Luca chuckled breathlessly, his eyes shining with patience and affection. He then nodded. 

"The Penny Badges Football Team. We were unstoppable and happy kids." He recalled. "I would talk with you all evening about this, but we really have to get something done here now. Also, you will want to use this chain laying over here." He smirked, pulling the thick chain that lied some metres away, closer to them. He winked at him, wrapping the chain around his had a bit, suggesting Daniel his idea. 

Daniel cleared his throat, sharing the same determined look as the smoker boy, with whom he had finally teamed up after many tense months full of distance and regret. They both nodded, getting up with difficulty and starting to carry the heavy and large staircase towards the spot under the basketball net, in between low huffs and complaints. 

When the large and heavy metal object clanked against the ground, both Daniel and Luca turned together towards the rest of their group, staring towards Carver, Adam, Bradley and Fred. 

"Okay, here's what's going to happen, little weirdos." Daniel continued with an authoritative tone, aimed towards his enemies as he crossed his arms. "I'm going to give you guys a last opportunity to grab your pathetic and sad asses and leave. You can end things now, go home and gulp your egos down, or face the true deal." 

Luca smirked by his side, proud of his friend. He aimed a pleased look towards Pete, who stared confused at the pair. The redhead proceeded to smile croakedly towards him, before focusing on Daniel. 

"Oh, and if I were you, I wouldn't be so curious." Luca complemented his phrase with haughtiness and sarcasm. 

"He knows what I'm talking about." Daniel said again, pointing towards Luca before sharing complicity smiles with him. Both of them elevated each other's charms to the sky, as everyone else watched with eternal curiosity how in the whole world those two weren't killing each other.

Chris widened his mouth, half smiling, as he watched how Daniel gave Luca one last glance before sending him over. The smoker boy, with his signal at last, was able to finally play his cards like he had planned twenty minutes ago, and couldn't because of Craig's grip. 

That was his opportunity to make things right, and return with his friends at last. 

With his heart and mind in their place after many years, finally, he hurried over to where Carver stood, walking past Bradley without daring to look into that ungrateful dude's eyes. Never again. How dared he trust that jerk, thinking they could be any better than the members of the football team? He had been stupid. And felt shame for using Chris. 

He placed himself in front of Carver, who wore a dead mad look and red cheeks from the anger. His arms were held back by Harry, one of the guys in his grade that used to be his homie. Luca crossed glances with him for a second, recalling a time when they used to stay at each other's house to play videogames and order pizza. 

Harry hesitated twice before returning his look, somewhat hurt. It was like he was recriminating him with his eyes. Luca sighed.

Then he proceeded to grab Carver's arms for him, already skilled enough in karate and personal defence to need anyone's help to retain him. Then he forced Carver's knees onto the floor, making him trip and fall over, never letting his arms go. 

The rest watched with either horrified or impressed expressions, depending on the team. 

"Are you going to make this hard? Or are you going to grab your pathetic lapdogs and get the hell outta here?" Luca barked with a poisonous voice. The 'prisoner' clicked his tongue, trying to free himself, but unable to due to Luca's strength. Then Carver spit towards the black haired boy's face. 

Luckily he dodged the spit, and frowned into a fake deceived expression. Then he looked over at Daniel, who denied with his head, placing his thumb and index over his nose for some seconds. Then he looked over at him with a hopeless stare, gesturing to bring him over. 

"Okay." He replied, emotionless. "You're going to regret this, Neilson." 

"You wished I would regret anything." He complained, trying to free himself. But Luca was faster. 

"Oh, go to hell, now." Luca yelled at him, grabbing him by an arm and pulling him messily over to where Daniel had finished placing the stairs correctly in direction to the ceiling. 

_Thunderstruck, Thunderstruck_

It all happened even faster. Daniel proceeded to get a hold of Carver as Luca forced him up the wide and high stairs, kicking him in that direction when necessary as Carver prepared to free himself at the first mistake he could get grip of. Daniel started using his power on the heavy body, which he successfully dragged upwards and threw over the net with a flick of his wrist.

 _Trying very carefully to not let anyone notice any scientific mistakes in the procedure_.

Everyone who was watching had wide eyes and mouths, remaining incredulous and shitfaced. Then he asked Luca for their special handicap, the thick chain lying close that he used to wrap that ungrateful dude around the net, before pulling both himself and Luca off to the ground and retrieving the stairs before the guy could climb down. 

_Thunderstruck, thunderstruck_

"YOU FUCKERS!" Carver yelled from where he had been chained. "I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU TO COURT." 

Daniel just looked upwards in direction to the enraged body, shrugging softly and recklessly. Action that only pissed Carver off even more. 

"No, you're not." He spoke without a care before melting into a fake smile. 

_It's alright, were doing fine_

Then Daniel turned towards the rest of them that were being held back by his friends, and asked them directly. 

"Do you still want to go away in peace?" Daniel asked with the calmest voice ever. 

Luca grinned by his side, starting to chuckle with amazement. The rest of the gang, though, exploded in grunts and complaints, raging even more. 

_It's alright, we're doin' fine, fine, fine_

"No? Okay." Daniel smiled. 

The he turned towards his chained prisoner, and focused on him under Luca's shocked stare. 

"D-Dude, seriously?" He whispered close to his ear. 

"They'll never mess with me again after this." Daniel replied with a smirk. 

"O-Okay." Luca muttered. 

_Thunderstruck, yeah, yeah, yeah_

"Is this too much for you, Luce?" Daniel asked with obvious mischeviousness, followed by a dangerous smile. 

Luca gulped. 

Daniel's hair whipped against the wind that was starting to form at his feet, very softly so that no one would be aware of his cheats, before his feet separated some centimetres away from each other, adopting a dynamic pose as his eyes focused on the rude and dangerous student chilling out over the net, surrounded by chains and cold. 

"Wasn't it your phantasy, to be looked by girls and be chained?" Daniel asked, smirking again. "Agree to disagree, motherfucker." 

_Thunderstruck_

He's being the worst, Luca thought. And he loved it. Chris, who remained some feet apart, was already asking for Daniel to stop it all, that whatever they were doing was more than enough. 

Daniel, though, just wanted to do one more thing before setting him free. Luca could tell. 

_Thunderstruck_

His hands still worked on Carver, who was struggling with a mysterious force that was pressing on him as he continued to shift and push his feet. Soon, a stain formed in Carver's pants, comforming an embarrassing and awkward scene for him. Daniel finally beamed, finally stopping his powers on his enemy, and slowly turned around to face his remaining opponents. 

"I'm going to ask one last time. Who's next?" Daniel yelled, dangerous and brave. He screamed loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. "Does someone want another top bunk for the night?" 

Adam, Bradley and Fred soon started to shake, their stares focused on a defeated and shocked Carver, too beaten to even say anything else. Even Daniel's friends started to panic a bit, unaware of what had exactly happened. _Had his teaming up with Luca made him that strong?_

Luca walked over to him, placing a hand over his shoulder. 

"Dude, it's okay. We already fed him his own medicine." He muttered. "Be better than them." 

Daniel nodded in his direction. "My intention was to scare them, not hurt them, Luce." 

"What's with the Luce name, now?" He chuckled. 

"Shut up. We made a nice team." 

Suddenly Bradley, Adam and Fred whispered stuff to the rest of the guys and pleaded to be freed, their eyes weakening even more. Daniel gave them permission to, when he nodded his head, and turned towards Luca with a smile. "See?" 

As soon as the three friends of Carver's were freed, they ran in direction to the exit, stomping over the ground and running away aghast. The screeching of their shoes and their heavy breaths echoed through the hall as they receded. 

"You're a true rebel." 

"Always true to myself." He smirked, starting to walk towards his friends. 

_Thunderstruck, baby, baby_   
_Thunderstruck, you've been Thunderstruck_

Daniel and Luca, who concretely started a cigarette in between sedation and calmness, started to walk back towards their group of friends, done but proud. Daniel's look in his eyes was a dark mixture of realization and fatigue, while Luca carried his usual careless smile on his lips, lighting up the killer weapon between his lips. 

_Thunderstruck_

_Thunderstruck_

_You've been_ _t_ _hunderstruck_

**(Thunderstruck** \- ACDC)


	11. No heaven but you

  
Mia's heavy breath and steps resonated next to Cecily, who was starting to get eager to arrive to whatever direction the football team was following. After Mr Emo and his ex crush had successfully chained the chaotic and reckless bully to a basketball net, they had proceeded to free the ones remaining and watched them hurry over to the exit like a bolt.

Triumphant, they had placed a gymnastics mattress below the net and winked an eye at Carver. " _The trick to free yourself is in your math notebook_." Daniel had chuckled before leaving the gym with Chris and the rest of his friends, who included Luca now. Carver was left alone to hurl and twitch in his place, cursing and threatening Daniel even more. _Oh well_.

"Hey, Mia. I'm... I'm really sorry about tonight. I saw you gasping for breath earlier on the bleachers. Were you okay?" Cecily asked with a worried tone, while Felicity and Chloe listened closely and nodded along.

Mia shrugged. "I never thought Daniel was such in deep shit. I was really afraid for a second. But, actually, what really intrigued me was how he actually placed Carver on the net. It's... It's just impossible." She said, trying to convince herself mostly.

 _It also wasn't possible that she had reappeared in front of a fucking_ _counter_ _just seconds after walking towards the mezzanine stairs_.

She shushed those thoughts away.

Her blonde hair that was styled straight, was still sprinkled with fake snowflakes and glitter, the proof of their many feats that night. Cecily had wore a short dress that she had carried over in her backpack just in case they'd hop onto a different place after the football match, which had been exactly what had happened.

Felicity and her friends had been amazingly kind enough to gift her a straightening hair treatment that ought to last some months. After hanging out at Londie, they had taken her into a salon and kept silent, asking her to trust them.

 _Now she had a cute hairstyle to rock out for the year. It was pretty bitching_.

"Y-Yeah... We know. Everyone's kind of shitfaced at the moment... But what's most important is that Carver can't follow or hurt us now." Then she looked over at Chloe, who was phoning her parents to tell them she wasn't coming home for dinner, before turning towards Mia again. She beamed. "I really hope we can make it right again. We really didn't want to give you a bad experience on your first party."

Mia looked downwards, finally smiling shortly. She held her little silver clover necklace in between her fingers and observed how the material emmitted a soft glimmer. _She felt so bad that she didn't have a dress for the after-party_.

"I-It's okay. It's all over now, right? That's what truly counts." She said, clutching onto Cecily's arm, who was as nice and warm as always. The attachment Mia had experienced towards her had developed even more, with every conversation and smile they had shared. _She was a true friend._ "I just wished I carried a pretty dress like yours. I feel kind of ridiculous in my leggings."

Cecily frowned, followed by Chloe's and Felicity's soft groans. Then the first one softened her expression, melting into a grin. "We got that covered, Mia. Don't worry. Aaron's sister has got hella dresses to spare." 

Mia's cheeks soon adopted a red colour, flattered. Had they really worried about that?

"T-Thanks, girls." She muttered. That means a lot to me. Chloe's eyes were especially cozy when the three of them turned their heads over to smile at her. "But, Aaron's sister? Where are we going, exactly?"

Cecily elevated an eyebrow thoughtful. "I... I don't really know yet. We're just following Aaron calmly, just playing it cool and doing our thing. I guarantee you, most of the time he knows what he's doing." She winked, lying about not knowing where they were going. "We usually have everything planned."

Mia nodded, trusting them.

Daniel was strolling south with his hands inside his pockets, stare determined towards the ground in front of him. There was a heavy and dangerous vibe floating around him, in silence. He didn't speak or really talk with anyone at that moment, not even Chris, who was sedately looking out for him with hooded eyes and a crooked smile. _Thud. Thud. Thud._ His mind raced, full of questions regarding Luca. How had the dark-haired boy found out about him? _Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud._ Why wasn't he shrieking? Freaking out?

Why wasn't he telling anyone what he had seen and forcing him into answering endless questions? Didn't he have anything to ask, anything to find out? Daniel had thought that it was his secret, that no one ever had to find out about his secretive but dangerous skills. _He had been so stupid to expose himself in the gym like that_. It was bad; definitely, utterly and completely mad, and crazy. If he couldn't even explain his stupid powers himself, how could he even handle someone else knowing about them? And out of all people, it had to be _Luca_? Just great, another fucking thing to worry about besides a skill he never asked for and didn't know how to control. He knew gossip didn't stay secret for long at Creek.

_It would've been better to be kicked in the balls by a rugby player._

Chris then whispered over to Pete, who had swung an arm around his neck, brotherly-like.

"P-Pete..." Then he cleared his throat. Pete remained thoughtful, with his hand inside his pocket. He also wasn't talking very much. "How do you think Daniel managed to do that? To chain Carver up there in the gym, I mean." He asked.

Silence. Pete grimaced, confused, as the worried shine in his eyes failed to add up to his attractive and secure appearance. Then he bit his lip, thinking, as everyone proceeded to follow Aaron in between indistinct chatter. Harry leaned over, suddenly interested in the blonde's question.

"I dunno, dude." Pete answered. It was the first time, if not one of the fewest times that he was unable to find meaning to Daniel's behaviour. He had always been a nice kid, someone who had a sense of humour, had a dorky side, helped people. But being the one to make people pay for what they did? It was a hard one. He proceeded to push his hair back, as Harry stared over at Chris. "I suppose that Luca was the mastermind behind their plan. It was really weird, though. I've... I've never seen him deal with someone else like that." Then he looked over to him. "He's usually average in body strength. Physical Education results never lie."

 _Neither did his loud and startling roar back at the field_.

He tried to disguise his powers, Luca thought. No one knew about them, and it was possible that they wouldn't. Maybe involving people with his gift was way too dangerous. Nevertheless, he got people thinking about the incidents at the gym. _Would he manage to keep his secret at bay?_ He was walking close to Harry, who was listening closely to Chris and Pete's conversation. The smoker boy grimaced in his direction, wondering if Harry would ever start a conversation with him after all that time.

 _He bitterly considered the option of letting things be_.

"H-Hey..." Luca muttered in his direction, ignoring Chris's conversation now. All he could look at right then was how Harry's eyes wandered from the blonde's reaction to his own face, his expression melting into another one. _Was that surprise? Or something else?_

Harry, who wore curly dark hair and a lip piercing that complemented his reserved attitude, now looked towards Luca. He frowned softly. 

"Luca... I..." Harry exhaled with an undecipherable expression. "Why did you stand up for Dan?" 

The smoker boy looked downwards, perceiving how his deceived tone stabbed him softly in his heart. That voice was new from him, and the look in his eyes didn't hold affection. He must've known better before dragging Chris up to that outdoorsy garden to fill his head with theories. 

"I stood up for him because he was my friend." He replied with a heavy voice. "Not because I felt bad for my actions, which I do." 

Harry narrowed his eyes in his direction. 

"So you did him wrong too, because he was your friend?" He sarcastically said. 

Silence. Luca gulped. 

"That was my mistake." 

"You had no idea how Dan looked back at the field." Harry recriminated him. 

"I saw him." 

"And it still wasn't enough to realize that you had gone too far, right?" 

"I..." Luca lowered his stare.

"Please... Don't." Harry exhaled, defeated. "We are going to party tonight, but we're still not friends." 

Luca's stare weakened.

"Just where are we actually going, Aaron?" Gwenyth groaned, picking on some crisps that she shared with Chloe. The second one wrapped her long-sized scarf around her body, the midnight air too cold now. Gwenyth placed the heart-shaped shades over her head, readjusting her Christmas hat as she brushed her hand past Aaron's arm, who was strolling close.

Aaron turned around to smile at her, softly, before closing his eyes with the same expression over his face.

"Daniel, you okay, mate?" Pete asked, slowly letting go of Chris's arm. He winked at the blonde boy before hurrying over next to the brown-haired boy, to whom he gifted a proud thumbs up.

Daniel shifted, widening his eyes suddenly. "Oh. Hi, Pete." He grimaced. "Wassup."

Pete elevated an eyebrow, thinking of ways to flip over the situation of his shy friend. "Something is wrong with my equation. Why aren't you chewing Chris's ear off?" He teased. Daniel rolled his eyes with a weak smile. "Your path is clear now. No dirty games, just right timing."

Daniel bit his lip.

"I'm... I'm just thinking about what to say." He chuckled, embarassed.

Pete rolled his eyes too, smiling. "Oh, come on. What is it with you being all flustered and secretive? You're making it so hard to pair you two up." He complained. "I've literally been plotting it all until you could finally get your shot."

Suddenly, Pete grimaced. "Whoops, I mean, yenno. Nevermind." He shrugged.

Daniel ended up aiming his interest towards his friend, who looked busted. "What do you mean, by plotting? I thought Luca was the fucked up mastermind." He asked with a confused glare. Close to him, Craig was lighting up a cigarette and sharing it with the smoker boy, who had earlier talked to Harry.

Pete just grinned in a busted smile, placing his index finger and thumb over his nose, annoyed at himself. _Too obvious_. Then he turned around to Aaron. "Aaron, he found out."

Aaron suddenly elevated his look, from where he was chatting with Gwenyth. Then he frowned a bit. "Dude?" He softly told him off. Then Jensen's, Craig's, and Harry's stares melted into annoyance.

"Fuck..!" Pete chuckled, fun. Clumsiness shined in his eyes, looking over at his friends, while Daniel was left wondering, confused as ever.

"Will someone tell me what's going on?" Daniel asked both impatiently and amused. He proceeded to stare behind him, at the faces of the boys who were slowly starting to blend into the conversation.

Aaron exhaled loudly, ruffling his bangs with his fingers before smiling over to Gwenyth shortly. Then he looked into Daniel's eyes, and abandoned the girl to go and swing an arm around Daniel's neck, starting to talk privately to him and Pete.

"Yenno the whole drama about my house being full for the night?" He asked, while Daniel nodded, confused. Pete looked over his shoulder, watching how Chris aimed a curious look at them before slowly joining Jensen, who was connecting a _JBL speaker_ to his phone. "It was all a lie we guys invented. We tried to think about ways to pair you up with Chris, but we didn't come up with anything better than sacking the gym."

Then he started chuckling along with Pete, while Daniel's heart started beating faster. _Excuse him? The guys had done what?_ "My house was always empty, and we could've done the party right away. But with a sad and depressed Daniel, it ain't the same." He confessed, brushing his hand against Daniel's shoulder reassuringly.

"So we planned something crazy to finally get you to talk with Chris. The office thing, the Walmart stroll, trying to help Luca, we planned it all so you could have a shot at telling him how you really felt. Or hit on him, whatever you managed to do."

Daniel stopped walking, his eyes widening like two plates. His mind made a little rewind of all of the things that had happened in the last five hours, the perfectly smooth series of events that had occurred finally making sense. Of course. It all had looked like a movie, everything too good and fun to be real. It wouldn't have turned out that great without a human mind behind it all, he acknowledged it right then.

"You guys did _what_?" He asked, eternally surprised. His feet had stopped walking, while Aaron and Pete exchanged mutual smiles. Daniel melted into a tender expression, feeling his heart pooling in endearment. "Guys, come on. Did you really just plot out the whole gym thing?" He asked with a soft voice, his eyes sparkling with affection.

"We really didn't count on Carver busting us with knifes, we swear." Harry added when he appeared, leaning against Pete's shoulder.

"I... I don't know what to say." Daniel replied in a soft voice, completely dumbfounded. Silence.

Daniel, with a pounding heart, proceeded to stare at his usually idiot-like and humoristic friends with a realization and proud expression, the deep feeling in his heart totally opposed to the one he had dwelled over after the football match. Completely different. There was nothing in common in between the deep thankful and euphoric atmosphere he breathed in then, with the hopeless and broken one he had mourned about in the field. Things had changed so fast and radically, and obviously turned out well for him.

It was funny how fast things changed in a matter of hours. It made him scared, unable to tell if Chris would suddenly realize he had talked bullshit earlier or something, breaking the precious and tingling aura that was embracing his heart then.

_Were those really the same guys that had joked about Chris being upset that he would be "sharing dick"?_

"You're telling me that you guys postponed the party so that I could sort stuff out with Chris?" He asked, his hands starting to shift on their own due to the excitement. _Really? Had his friends really..?_

Pete suddenly rolled his eyes with fun, melting into a smile. _Everyone was smiling too much lately._

"Oh, come on. Quit kissing ass and just be happy, man." Pete chuckled, hitting Daniel's back with amusement. "We owed it to you, that angle was perfect. In the match, I mean."

Daniel sighed, unable to believe what was happening. "Pete Valley!" He exclaimed, smiling croakedly in his direction. There was a thankful shine in his eyes that the redhead couldn't ignore.

_Hmph. As if they were going to let Daniel ruin his own Christmas break._

Pete shrugged, careless. "Yeah, I know. You're delusional if you really thought we were going to leave you like that."

"What's going on?" Chris asked, walking over to the little crowd. He proceeded to lean his elbow on Pete's shoulder, listening closely to what Daniel was saying. Aaron was making a special video on his TikTok account now, soon joined by Gwenyth, Chloe and Cecily.

Daniel elevated his look from where he was standing into Chris's angelic and lively face, immediately blushing wild. The guys chuckled.

Aaron paused his video to respond. Gwenyth made a soft turn, sticking her tongue out. "My house was always free to set up the party. The whole gym thing was a side mission to set you up with Dan." He talked in a friendly and slightly smug voice, before going back to his TikTok video with the girls. Gwenyth placed her shades on her eyes again starting to twerk softly, joined by her two friends.

The red patch that was starting to spread all over Chris's cheeks was ridiculous. Pete and Harry exploded into laughs while Aaron started pushing his hair back and making proud signs towards the camera, mimicking a song that was playing on his phone. Daniel low-key wanted to shove them all away, grab Chris and just walk away from everyone and everything. _How could they be so embarrassing?_

Chris recalled an extrovert and friendly Pete talking business with him in the football field exit, how they sneaked into the office, Daniel's almost (sigh) kiss, stole the keys, the whole Walmart goofing around, the unexpected punch from Luca, his confession for Daniel, how he had doubted that a guy like Aaron would miss out on a place to make a party...

"Pete?!" Chris whined in his direction.

Pete shrugged. "Don't look at me."

Daniel covered his face, flustered to the core. _He wanted for the earth to suck him in_. Then he was hit on the back by the rest, receiving exclamations and support.

Chris's heart started to beat out of rate. Like, _fast_. His cheeks felt hot and his awkwardness rose up, unable to debate whether he wanted to run away with Daniel in that moment or just join Mia and her friends and not come back. _Because, an even bigger and better gay panic?_

Daniel searched Chris's eyes with his own, feeling deeply sheepish. Chris was busy steaming off like a, god, the _fucking_ Orient Express and his delicate and slim fingers covering his cheeks, biting his lip softly. Daniel chuckled at the sight of Chris becoming embarassed, until his blue eyes met with his own.

Slowly and soonly enough, the guys started to walk away, giving them their deserved and necessary privacy. Not that Daniel or Chris had realized; they were pretty much trapped inside their own world.

Foolishly. 

_I see the moon, I see the moon, I see the moon_

_Oh, when you're looking at the sun_

Daniel proceeded to avert his gaze almost instantly, not believing he would panic even more if their eyes met. Then he let out a soft and deep voice, trying to regain his usual careless and fun tone they used back in Chris's treehouse. 

"I'm really sorry." He apologised, finally glad to have some time of their own to settle the dust down. Kind of. 

_Not a fool, I'm not a fool, not a fool_

_No, you are not fooling anyone_

Chris just stuttered after it, still flustered even after confessing his feelings for him in public and an unlike timing. "Heh... I... It's okay." He said, tripping softly over his words.

When Daniel elevated his eyes to stare at his best friend, Chris's curved lips melted into an admirable and contagious smile.

 _Oh god, he looked so good_. Daniel pushed that idea away, trying not to look like a fool or desperate. The last thing that he needed now, after everything that had happened and been said, was being unable to keep a basic and cool flow. He wanted for Chris to feel like they could throw shapes together and vibe together in the party, as well as just sitting down and watching the party transform people into what they truly were, in middle of a comfortable and confident silence.

_Oh, but when you're gone, when you're gone, when you're gone_

"I had no idea they would be doing stuff like this. Are you okay?" He asked, tripping over his own words.

_Oh baby, all the lights go out_

Chris just rolled his eyes as he kept smiling, trying to tone down the tense vibe. "Y-Yeah! Don't... Don't worry. It's okay. It was really fun. Like I said, Pete made me have a good time."

"Did I? Make you have a good time?" He blurted out without a thought. The second he said those words, he felt his cheeks burn blatantly.

_Thinking oh that, baby, I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong_

Chris widened his eyes as he averted his stare to the ground. _Oh boy._ He shortly remembered feeling hopeless over the image of a fading Daniel in dreams, seeming like he would never come back. He had gripped onto that picture only to look back at it and realize there was just dust on top of it that he just had to brush away, knowing now that he could truly count on him and his new friends. Pete Valley was one of the nicest people he had ever met, and so were the rest. So was Daniel, who had utterly stolen his heart. _His mind just raced with all of the things he wanted to do with him on their Christmas sleepover_. Without a warn, his breath started to quicken, soon leaving him struggling to breathe correctly. 

"You mean what happened in the office?" Chris asked with a careful and quiet voice, trying not to look obvious. Would Daniel mind? He hoped he didn't, since he sucked at keeping cool about certain things. 

And certain "almost" things _._

_Come back to me, baby, we can work this out_

Daniel's heart stopped. _Fuck_. A high feeling entered his heart to shake it, feeling his body burn. He covered his mouth with his hand, his skin threatening him with turning a wild and _obvious_ red by just remembering his best friend's lips right on top of his. 

Chris chuckled nervously.

_Oh baby, come on, let me get to know you_

_Just another chance so that I can show_

"O-Okay, forget it. It's fine." He quickly said, not wanting to push it any furtherly. _How could he be so rushy?_

Daniel suddenly recovered a jolt of confidentness, not wanting to drown into full-mode embarassment next to Chris and break their vibe. _And less after hearing from him that he loved him_. _Which was the closest to heaven that he ever felt. Maybe Chris was even among that place_. 

"I wished Aaron hadn't interrupted." He confessed with hot and red cheeks, talking with a grunt, almost. Daniel felt those words going straight to his gut, removing a restless but blissful sensation inside. 

_That I won't let you down, and run_

_No, I won't let you down, and run_

Chris's eyes widened like never before. _Had his voice really did that soft grunting thing? While talking about what happened in the office? Oh no, that was his end._ He tried so, so hard to keep cool about his emotions at the moment. Boys like Daniel Diaz should carry a permission to look that _fine_. 

"S-Sorry for being too much." He added, loosing his mind at the thought of being alone at the Reynolds. Oh well. 

_Oh, but when you're gone, when you're gone, when you're gone_

_Oh baby, all the lights go out_

"I also wished he didn't." Chris replied at last, triggering something inside Daniel's body that he couldn't quite decypher. Had he? _Then why had he apologised earlier?_ Then the blonde beamed, staring at the ground.

That smile.

_Thinking oh that, baby, I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong_

_Come back to me, baby, we can work this out_

Then he was gone, strolling south in direction to where Aaron and the rest were walking towards the leader's house. He shined, under the moonlight, the reflection of the stars, or just this mental filter that Daniel adopted every time he laid eyes on Chris, angelic and vibrant, under the street lamp's flickering lights of a night where everything was possible, and anything could happen. With four more hours to go, he felt his heart rampage and riot inside, eager to drive towards a place where nothing could get in between him and that honey dripping off Chris's flesh.

Daniel bit his lip slowly.

_Oh baby, come on, let me get to know you_

_Just another chance so that I can show_

_That I won't let you down, and run_

_No, I won't let you down, and run_

_I could be the one_

(Be The One - **Dua Lipa** )

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

 _01:35 am_

Craig was showing a new tattoo that he got on his neck to Jensen, who was sipping generously from his cocktail. The music was already too loud to deafen anybody's ears, but their hearing system was so used to the partying and screams, that practically yelling to the other attempting to communicate wasn't a new thing.

"I got this dove tattooed here. Can you see it?" Craig beamed in Jensen's direction. Jensen, who wore dark blue eyes and his black wavy hair which was almost shoulder-length, proceeded to trace Craig's tattoo. Craig had been happy to have that ink plastered on his neck. He had been so busy with tests and taking care of his younger brother Stan that he barely had any time to be friendly or social. He had been planning on getting that tattoo, so eventually had it done. 

Harry was nodding in their direction, before staring over at Luca who was drinking alone in the corner. His eyes adopted a resigned shine, still reluctant to Luca's heart. How could someone like him turn out to have such a dark side? He felt like he was almost unreachable now. The bunch of dark curls now sipped on his cocktail, staring at the smoker boy with nostalgia and hurt. 

"Yo, Harry. You seemed to have glued your eyes to Emo Guy for a while now." Jensen said, smiling croakedly. 

Harry shrugged, careless, acting like he didn't know what they were talking about. 

"I'm not. Just staring." He said, downplaying the situation. He then proceeded to spin the drink in circles with the straw, breaking eye contact. 

Craig and Jensen shared conspirative looks before looking at Harry, who still refused to sit down and just enjoy the party for his own sake. He looked annoyed towards the smoker boy who had starred in his action movie with Daniel before. Nevertheless, he looked more involved in whatever Luca was doing than actually ignoring him. 

The house was huge. It was clear that Aaron came from a family whose sun hadn't set on their economy horizon, and enjoyed a range of perks and advantages that not many had; a huge entrance that led to a wide staircase, white walls, expensive paintings, a proper beige-coloured piano (Aaron's special talent), polished and exclusive rugs, a wide flat screen in the main hall, the mezzanine with transparent balconies, an enormous and spacious kitchen, a living room with windows that exposed the pool and further night landscape (an extraordinary view of all Beaver Creek with its lights and motion), luxury bathrooms and Aaron's sister's closet, which Hadid (Hill's daughter and Aaron's sibling) had kindly lend to the girls who craved a second chance at looking impressive for the night. 

"Okay, whatever." Craig chuckled, nudging Jensen's shoulder who was already shifting to his side, to where Aaron, Pete, Gwenyth and her two friends were sharing the couch with drinks in hand. 

The superstars for the night had already reclaimed their throne. Everybody partied at their surroundings, either gossiping to their friends, dancing, or serving themselves a drink in a red cup at the kitchen, where at least twenty boxes of pizza were being distributed in between the party attendants. Daniel walked in quickly to the room, already changed into a long sleeve striped shirt with the word "bitch" on it inside a white outline, along with beige trousers that had an little chain clinging off their waist. Also, he had borrowed Aaron's high black Converse sneakers to move around easier. He proceeded to walk over to where Abby and Blue were talking to their friends, not realizing that they had actually come. 

"Make sure you don't move." Felicity had kindly and quietly asked over the distant music background, inside the calmness and quietness of Hadid Hill's bedroom. 

Chris closed his eyes softly, hands over his lap while her friend Cecily looked over at him. "Do you fancy pastel colours or dark ones?" She asked in a good mood, while everyone else in the room tiptoed around, picking up bags, changing or doing their makeup. The light was intense and many girls were taking turns to go into Hadid's bathroom to style their hair. 

"Pastel. I love lavender and soft bubblegum blue!" Chris said, replying with an excited tone. He shifted when someone grabbed his hand to paint his nails in a soft white colour, and whispered a soft "thank you". How did he end up in front of Hadid Hill's expensive boudoir, having his hair, nails and makeup done by three different girls? 

"Well then, today you're going to do Brownie's high waist jeans, a Gucci belt, a basic white shirt and a Double Agent blue and grey flannel. You okay with it?" Cecily asked proudly in Chris's attention. "Do you want me to add Hadid's Champion white beanie?"

The blonde boy found himself nodding. "Y-Yeah, it seems nice!" He replied, even though he had no idea of what he was even agreeing to. He just hoped he would look good. 

"Okay..." Cecily answered, excited, while she rummaged through Hadid's clothes, which were lit up by the thin lamp on the upper part of her closet furniture. "I'll get this, and this, and..."

Ten minutes later, Chris looked at himself in the mirror impressed by Felicity's and Cecily's style talent. The white "top" was actually a croptop, and the white beanie added up just perfectly. He had kept his beige sneakers since they fitted just right with his outfit, and the grey and blue flannel gave him the charms. 

He loved it. 

"See y'all later, Blue!" Daniel yelled over the music, doing his special handshake with the tech kid. Then he pulled back, turning on his sneakers to walk towards the kitchen counter, where Hadid was giving out free pizza slices. As soon as he came closer, the youngest Hill member winked at him and melt into a wide smile. 

"Yo, Diaz. Nice angle. Do you want a pizza?" She asked, placing a slice of pizza over a napkin and handing it to a girl who was waiting with her friend. They exchanged friendly "thank you's" before looking over at Daniel. 

Daniel licked his lower lip, hungry. "Please. Barbecue will do." He said with an eager voice. He died for just a bit of food after the whole Luca drama before in the gym. It wasn't like he eternally hated him, but he was definitely on a trial period right then. Luca had a lot to prove from then on. 

He proceeded to tap his fingers impatiently, his mouth already salivating for the meat flavoured pizza. 

"Don't wolf it down too quickly." Hadid told him as an advice, beaming at him before handing him his pizza slice over. "Thick pizza with your favourite toppings on top. Don't diet! Stay healthy." She winked before attending another party attendant, with a bright and lovely attitude. 

"Thanks." Daniel smiled, forever grateful. He took a big and satisfying bite from the pizza slice as he walked into the living room, his mouth soon filled by the delicious flavour. He kept munching on his food while he dodged some couples that hurried over to the kitchen and people who had crowded to carry out a twerking battle with their friends, and searched for Pete and the rest with his eyes. 

A few feet away from him, Amber and Chloe were laughing very loudly at an Instagram story they had just checked. Some girl came close, who he recognized as Becka, with whom he shared genuine smiles before she stuck out her phone. Tilting it towards them both to make a selfie, Daniel leant a bit against Becka's body and pouted vibrantly. His eyes shined happily towards the camera before the girl snapped a few selfies of them, thanking him and congratulating him for his football victory before walking away. 

Some steps later, a girl named Genevieve high-fived him as she walked by and called him out. "Yo, nice moves!" Then some people laughed, radiant. That girl had been his classmate in his singing lessons that he took some months ago. Definitely the only thing he was actually good at academically. 

On his left, k-pop fanatics Vera, Harleen and Betty cheered towards him as the three of them started doing some sweet dance moves for him, while the second one formed a korean heart for him. Daniel chuckled, amazed, as he bumped a korean heart into Harleen's. They both smiled at each other before she grabbed her two friends to walk towards other people. 

Then Daniel kept on walking, gaily, over to where Pete and Aaron were talking with the girls. Some feet away, stood Craig and Jensen, who were exchanging words in an eager way while Harry was staring over at a blank point. The last one looked especially bothered. 

Daniel grimaced in Harry's direction before he walked over to him, arriving closer to the huge vintage coffer which the boy with black curls used as a seat. The boy fiddled with his lip piercing before approximating the red drink cup to his lips, from which he sipped with slight but present indignation. 

"Hey, Harry." He spoke, tugging at his long striped sleeves. Then he took another bite from his pizza slice. "Want some?" He offered, hanging over the food to Harry. 

Harry hesitated before leaning closer from where he was sitting, pushing his back slightly forwards until he could bite Daniel's pizza slice, munching and nodding with aprobation before murmuring a soft "thanks". Daniel sighed, grieved. 

"You okay, man? Your face's an open book." Daniel asked, sitting on the edge of the leather box with Harry. "The party is also in your honor, yenno." 

Harry suspired, rolling his eyes with a smile. "I know, I know... I'm just..." 

"Uncomfortable?" He asked with fun. "It's all over your face." 

"Heh, if you want to see it that way..." 

"You can't handle being in the same room as Black Locks?" He chuckled, biting from his pizza slice. 

Silence. Harry denied with his head, exhaling nervously before looking over at Harleen, who was joining Abby and Blue for a round in _Just Dance_ in front of the flat screen. Soon, the introduction of Ariana Grande's song _"Rain on Me"_ played in the background. The three of them grabbed the controllers and started moving along with the dancers on screen, receiving support and cheers from the crowd. 

Harry fiddled with his lip piercing with recklessness, aiming his grey eyes over to the side. He batted his eyelashes, loosing anger potential every time, until he was just staring at the figure leaning against the wall. 

_Luca_. 

Daniel grimaced, stopping a smile from spreading over his face. 

"Are you going to be mad at him forever?" The Diaz boy asked, making Harry sit up on the coffer in a puffed up way. Then Harry snatched Daniel's pizza slice away from him, and bit off a generous piece. 

"I'm not. He can suck ass." He shrugged, biting from the slice again before giving it back. Daniel stared at the remaining chunk of pizza that had arrived to his hands with a pitiful expression. 

"Oh." Daniel said, his voice trailing off. "I thought I was the one mad." He joked. 

"Whatever." Harry answered with a full mouth, munching. His tone was harsh. 

Daniel looked up, smiling croakedly before averting his eyes to the ground. Harry shifted beside him, taking a sip from his beer. Was he really worried about Luca now, after everything that had happened? Then he tilted his head towards him, brushing a hand past Harry's shoulder in a reassuring way. 

"Bruh. You just know how much I would love to see you throw shapes later, with a more lit up face, yenno?" Daniel animated him, trying to lift his spirits up. "Please don't ruin your mood today over this. Okay?" 

Harry looked up with a dreamy expression. A hint of sadness also hid behind them. 

"I can't ruin my mood over something I don't give a fuck about, man." Harry replied, careless. Then he sipped again. 

Daniel chuckled, huffing a bit. 

"Just get things right, man. I know how much this actually means to you. You're just shit at showing it." He said before standing slowly up. 

Harry instead, just looked at him with this undecipherable expression in his eyes, proving Daniel's point. _Kind of_. 


	12. Winter Wrecks

Daniel high-fived Craig, Jensen and Harry before turning on his heels, before receiving a message on his phone. The soft buzz in his trouser's pockets made him shift, surprised. The young boy proceeded to check who had sent it, amused to realize who was the one texting him.

_01:54_

**big bad bro**

_little cub! you having fun?_

Daniel widened his eyes, suddenly stopping on his tracks. Sean? His brother? He had sent him a text then, right in the middle of his party and two hours away from getting deliberately wasted. What was his brother doing up that late? Shouldn't he be considering getting some rest so that he could draw his comics on the next day? 

_01:55_

**Danny**

_yo, dude_

_yes! i'm having a lotta fun ;) pete valley's the man_

A few moments passed while Daniel observed the "typing..." phrase, below the fun but not less affective nickname he had assigned for his older brother. He beamed shortly, mentally preparing himself to avoid all types of uncomfortable questions. 

_01:55_

**big bad bro**

_oh, yeah, valley's a true one ;)_

_he sent my link over to aaron's parents contacts to help distribute "_ _superwolf_ _brother" and now it's a smash_

_did you manage to pull chris along into your after-party? or is he coming home?_

Daniel chuckled. Sean was as caring and centered as always, and was probably heating the oven up for a pizza just in case he typed in "yes". He secretly thanked and admired that part of his older brother that he had needed when he was younger. Some years ago, when Daniel would feel sick or hopeless, or even sad, Sean would get up from the couch, pause whatever he was doing and make some pancakes, heat a pizza or prepare a mug of hot cocoa for him, and play a videogame with him until he had completely forgotten what he was sad about. _Most of the times, his heart was down because of dad, and being a kid who still searched for answers behind it all, he found himself unable to come to the realization that the majority of his problems were a consequence, one of the emotional gap that his father's death had provoked_. 

Daniel typed in a short "Don't worry! We'll be back home before breakfast. Go to sleep Diazblo!", before receiving Sean's usual agreement emoji. Then he locked his phone and threw it into his left pocket, slumping over the wide and modern L-shaped couch in between Pete and Aaron, who was kissing Gwenyth softly. The last one wore a plaid short dress with trendy sneakers, along with blue and yellow eyeshade. A furry bubblegum blue jacket failed to cover her left shoulder as it tried to stop her from freezing. Aaron was taking care of that anyways. 

"Someone's going straight to dessert." Daniel rolled his eyes while leaning towards Pete. "They bothering your peace, man?" He joked, pointing towards their worked up friends at their left with his thumb. 

Pete was smiling croakedly, placing two fingers on the side of his cheek, rolling his eyes with fun. _Pete actually looked really attractive, if you were able to address it_. Daniel wasn't scared of that thought as it had already striked him many times before, making him admit that he was at least aesthetically pleasing. Besides, Pete was the closest to a brother he had ever had, so an innocent and flattering compliment shouldn't mess with their friendship. His brown eyes held a mischevious glimmer while his reddish hair glowed like a dream over his face, complimenting just great with his ripped jeans, deep green _Van's_ , and a Niagara Falls pullover with an illustration and the Canadian flag on it. 

"Nah, it's Friday." Pete smiled at last, leaning against the couch. Then he exhaled, looking over at Abby and Blue, who rocked at dancing _Rain On Me._ "Let them be, the work's done and people are happy. That's all I want for my guys." He said before adding with recklessness. "And gays." 

Daniel felt the familiar red shade spread over his cheeks, hiding his lips behind the nail he was about to bite. Pete instead just brushed both his hands through his hair while he stretched, almost making Daniel drool over that image if it wasn't because his heart had already set on Chris. _The Valley's shared some bitching genes, damn_. 

"That's cool, man. Let them live their dreams, it's Christmas." Daniel beamed, leaning against the couch too, trying to share as physical closeness as possible with Valley, whom he truly adored. _In a non-sexual way._

Pete brushed his bangs away from his eyes, looking over at Daniel with curiosity shining in his eyes. Then he narrowed them in a fun way. 

"Did you talk?" 

"Huh?"

"Don't play dumb with me. How did it go after we left you guys after the gym." Pete faked indignation, crossing his arms now. There was an amused and funny glimmer in his eyes, though. 

Daniel rolled his eyes while he beamed. 

"He recalled the kiss." He blurted out. 

"Wait. WHAT?!" Pete suddenly sat up straight, jolting from where he had calmly chilled out in Daniel's direction. 

Daniel clicked his tongue, embarassed. 

"F-Fuck. No, I mean, we almost..." 

Pete's expression only turned even weirder, grimacing with more and more indignation. 

"What the _fuck_ does that even mean?!" He shrieked. 

"We almost. I said, almost."

"Fuck! In the gym?" He asked. 

"No!" 

" _What_?" 

"In the office. We almost did, in the office." 

Pete widened his eyes like plates, watching the ground be populated by drunk students who had transformed into freaks and stoners. Then he looked into Daniel's eyes. 

"Then why are you guys so flustered? I thought the tension had died down?!" 

"Heh. It might as well has worsened. When Aaron interrupted, we were..." He then gulped while watching Pete's amused and annoyed expression. "Well, it doesn't matter! We almost kissed. And now I can't stop thinking about it." 

"About _what_?" He cried.

"About Chris. I can't stop thinking about _him_." He blushed. 

Pete bit his lower lip, smiling almost lunatically in his friend's direction. _Ah, what was he going to do with them both. They were so hopeless and_ _chickenshits_. Pete chuckled with defeat, gathering his patience to spend some hours playing Cupid for his friend's sake. Then he slapped a hand over Daniel's thigh and leant in, winking an eye at him. 

"Just let me ask you a question, Danny." He prompted. "After bumping in countless times into your best friend thanks to our asses, having had at least five chances to tell him how you felt, almost fucking kissing in the secretary office, his own ass confessing his love for you, and leaving you some privacy after the gym incident, you're telling me that you haven't kissed him for real yet?!" He gradually shrieked. 

Daniel gulped with an embarassed smile. Then he bit his nail shortly before answering. 

"It's different..." He muttered. 

Pete pulled a dramatic face. " _How?!_ " The redhead yelled, making gestures with his hands. 

"Well, yenno. This is the first time we actually address this feeling, we don't know how to react, it's confusing..." Daniel explained, red to his head as he fiddled with his fingertips. 

"Man, get your shit together. Chris fucking told you he loves you." Pete recriminated him in a fun way, making Daniel chuckle. He leant against the couch in a defeated way, looking over at Harry, who seemed lost towards a certain point in the crowd. Then he looked back at Daniel and smiled. "What is taking you guys so long." 

Daniel stared towards their shoes, grimacing with fun. Then he shrugged. 

"I am planning on telling him how I feel. Tonight." Daniel nodded, secure. 

"It _is_ tonight!" Pete cried, closing his eyes with fun. 

"No, but like... When we actually, you know..." 

"You keeping it all for yourselves. I get it." 

Daniel exhaled calmly, letting all his stress out at last, for the first time in the night. His heart was tired from too much breaking and coming together, struggling to beat for Chris. 

"And you? Who are you trying on flustering tonight?" Daniel asked, fiddling with the loose fabric of Pete's jeans comfortably.

The redhead chuckled openly, denying with his head.

"It isn't my night tonight." He said, ruffling his hair with confidence. "I'll just watch you and be happy for y'all. That's all I can do, and all I asked for." He winked. 

Daniel beamed sincerely. _Pete Valley was a good dude. For real._ And for that exact reason, he deserved a shot for the party, and hoped he would at some point. Someone he would trust and care for, and find them eventually. 

When the Diaz boy cocked his head, he soon discovered Harry walking closer to them, arriving to where they were chilling out and slumping over the edge next to Pete. The boy didn't start any conversation, choosing to listen to them instead. 

"Yo, man." Pete smiled, slapping a hand over Harry's thigh in a sedated way. _Daniel bit his lower lip while watching this with a smile, thinking: gay, gay, gay_. How many times did Pete actually slap his friends thighs? 

Daniel sincerely wished for someone to pass his superficial attraction for Pete onto his new lover. _Yeah, he did._

He was completely sure that Chris would understand. As if he hadn't seen the look on Chris's face, whenever Pete came his way pushing his hair back like that. _Hmph_.

"Why you be staring at Emo Guy like you wanna have him for your first course? As in, killing him. With your eyes." Pete corrected himself with a smile, playing with his hair naturally seductive, like he always did. 

Harry fiddled with his lip piercing, staring coldly towards the ground, shrugging. _Yeah, of course. He didn't have any clue of what they were talking about, right?_ Then he stuck out his eyeliner from his pockets, getting his phone out. 

Daniel smirked. Everything about him screamed a name that he didn't want to pronunciate yet... Instead, he chose to play along with it, sharing conspirative smiles with Pete. Then Pete winked at him, subliminally asking him to follow his lead, when he cocked his head towards the only figure in the room that looked like throwing their cup away and leaving anytime. 

"There's a chick in this party who wants to check you out." He calmly said with a grunt, trying to impersonate Chuck Bass from _Gossip Girl_ as much as possible. Then he looked over at him. 

Harry elevated their look towards them, smirking with a hint of danger before sliding the eyeliner along his eyelid. He improvised a gothic shape on the corner of his eye and then tilted his head to either sides, checking his result on his phone camera. 

"Hi, sleeping beauty." Harry saluted with a lazy tone. 

Pete and Daniel stared at each other with confusion, the first one's masterplan gone to hell now. _What changed?_

"Yo, goth." Gwenyth answered with a smile, pulling away from Aaron entirely, who had stood up for a drink. _Aaron was already independent from the guys for the whole night, like a wildcat._

Pete stared towards Gwenyth with a smirk. 

"You don't waste your time, eh?" He asked cockily. 

"Me? Never." Gwenyth smiled, confident. She then readjusted the upper part of her short plaid dress while she tilted her head towards Harry. "What's my _Harry Bunny_ so worried about? You look like breaking a wooden plank anytime." She joked. 

Harry rolled his eyes, smiling for the first time in the night, glad that at least his friends took things with humor. His football team mates were the only ones he found himself trusting. 

"Nah, I'm good." Harry added with a crooked smile, trying to disguise his hidden bad temper. 

"He'll be alright. He's got his giraffe bros on his side." Pete chuckled, referring to their old conversation. The rest exploded into soft giggles. Harry instantly beamed and hit him on his shoulder, who was still laughing softly. "Forever and ever." 

Suddenly Daniel saw it. 

_Mia_. 

He involuntarily nudged Pete with his knuckles, nodding with his head towards the lonely girl leaning against the white bureau. She didn't look well, and what was more important, she was alone. Where was Cecily? What about her friends Felicity and Riley? 

_Why_ was she looking like that? 

Pete frowned. His eyes started to shine with worry, tilting his head in her direction, inspecting her situation from the distance like Daniel was. Soon enough, Gwenyth was shifting too towards the girl who wore stains on her cheeks and an insecure posture, choosing to lean against the bureau uncomfortably. 

"Isn't that Mia? Why does she look like she's going to throw up anytime..?" She asked, both curious and troubled. Daniel stared at Pete, as if asking whether they should step in or let her cool down on her own. 

Harry elevated his look, letting out a soft groan. "That girl doesn't look right, guys." He grimaced. 

Pete didn't need a code word to see a red flag. He stood up, looked at Daniel with a pitiful expression and initiated his stroll, readjusting the edge of his pullover before starting to walk towards the weak blonde one. 

The closer he came to the girl, the more he felt something tingle in the air. Like a sign. He proceeded to watch how the agonizing and delicate girl hovered over her own weight, looking like she could kill someone with her eyes, unable to keep it cool. In other words, she needed help before she could loose her shit. She still wore her gym outfit, which was composed mainly of her leggings, floral dress and her worn denim jacket. 

His steps slowed down. He then stared over at Mia Bailey, who looked closer to hell than getting drunk. She proceeded to elevate her watery eyes into the redhead's, melting into a painful recognition as her right arm wobbled over the boudoir. 

Pete's heart sank. 

"Yikes, Mia. Are you okay?" He asked with a caring but determined tone, knowing the answer already. He proceeded to calmly walk closer to Mia, whose arms he held. The girl stiffed, tense. 

Pete tilted his head towards Mia with heavy and sad eyes, looking into her own. Restlessness and hopelessness. _Who the fuck had she been hanging out with?_

"Mia, where's Riley. And Cecily." He asked with a troubled voice, insisting with hope. 

Mia exhaled nervous, wiping her bangs messily off her eyes. A couple next to them both were kissing in a steamy way, hearing their soft grunts already. The music was too fucking loud. Pete held the blonde girl's hands, helping her mantain her balance while she recovered her voice. 

"I..." She started to say before her lips automatically closed, her eyebrows telling Pete that she wasn't okay, nor had any idea of where they had gone. _And that she probably needed to throw up_. "They... I... No makeup..." 

Pete listened closely, the pain in her voice stabbing him softly. Who the fuck had done that to her? He narrowed his eyebrows, looking to the side. An idea crossed his mind, making him look into Mia's watery eyes with secureness. 

"Did anyone feed you?" He asked with a hard tone. Mia denied slowly and with many effort. He grimaced, looking towards the floor. "Did anyone give you a drink?" 

Mia's eyes widened a bit, leaning furtherly against the boudoir. His heart pounded inside. Her eyes darted quickly around the room, before staring at Pete pleadingly. 

She nodded. 

Pete clicked his tongue. _Fuck_. Someone had taken advantage of Mia due to her inexperience in parties and tried to screw her. She looked terrible. He was going to find that guy that had tried to hurt his classmate, call Luca and Daniel and make him pay. _In fact, whatever Luca and Daniel had done was incredibly bully-proof and fucking amazing_. 

"Mia, has someone tried to hurt you?" He asked, placing a calming hand over her arm. Daniel and Harry were already staring in their direction with notorious worry. "Please don't feel obligated to answer. I just want to make things easier." 

He shifted, breathless. Mia was wobbling, and as soon as she heard those words, she closed her eyes with fear and denied, seeming to want to say something. Her hand, which was holding onto the boudoir corner, shaked a bit more. 

_Oh no._ _N_ _o way._

Mia's eyes moved from left to right, sad. She had teardrops in them, now rolling over her cheeks as she shook. 

"They... Held me." She struggled to say. 

Fuck. 

"How?" Pete asked, emphatic towards Mia. How could someone even try something with her? She always looked so cool and never tried to nose into anyone's business. 

"They shook me, in group, making f-fun of me, they t-tried to pull me upstairs, fell and s-somehow ended up here." She stammered, crying. 

_That was still abuse, Mia._

Pete exhaled, angry, while he placed a hand on either of her shoulders. Then he looked into the girl's, and made her look at him. He clicked his tongue, making her react. "Mia. Listen." 

She looked up, batting her eyelashes as another tear fell to her chin. 

Pete then elevated both of his hands up to Mia's cheeks, making her direct her eyes to him. He resulted even softer than he expected, proud of his performance. "Mia, this is going to sound horrible and inhuman, but they were making fun of you. You're new and they could tell, and tried to make you feel miserable about it, thinking that you wouldn't see it coming. They're suckers, and I'm really sorry that this happened." He said with a worried and soft voice now. Pete blinked, wanting to turn things around for Mia Bailey. "I'll go with you to the bathroom. We'll wash your face and you're sticking to us for the rest of the party. Is that clear?" He asked, trying to transmit her some of his confidence. 

Mia's eyes suddenly recovered some light, but her hands still shaked with fear. It was only normal that she still was. _What a bunch of assholes_. Who the fuck had let them in?

"Yeah?" Pete asked softly. Soon, the two guys that were making out earlier grabbed each other's hand and slowly made their way towards the stairs. Pete wished them luck bitterly, Mia occupying his mind now. 

The blonde girl, who had stopped shaking like a maniac, nodded more relaxed now. Her eyes were still lost and watery, and her body was still stiff, but had thanked the redhead eternally for that friendly offer. When both of their eyes encountered, Mia suddenly felt her soul bump into a warm surprise. A really calming, dreamy and soothing one. _Had Pete Valley actually just done that?_

She grimaced shortly, trying to smile, but nothing coming out of it since she was still struggling with what had happened. Pete's words had only helped prevent her from falling over the edge, but she still needed something else to regain her wish to stay at the party. 

_Maybe it was the look Pete had given her?_

"Yeah. C-Can we go now. My makeup is a mess." 

"Don't worry. We'll ask Hadid for an instant miracle later." Pete quickly said, grabbing her from the wrist and pulling her along with him. Seconds after he started walking, he turned around before slowly letting go of Mia's grip, grabbing her more softly now. 

Mia smiled involuntarily. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for this short length chapter! I promise there are longer ones coming your way... My apologies! 🤭


	13. All Stars

Daniel exhaled at last, calm, while Gwenyth praised Pete from where she was sitting, clapping her hands really distinguishedly. Harry, who had been watching the scene developing in from of them in silence, now finally let out a soft "He's a modern hero", in his grunting and bitter voice, before taking his phone out and texting someone he had registered with a heart.

Silence. Daniel grimaced while he stared over at the dull-sounding boy, who now wore a soft look as he texted this person.

"I think I'm going to go and help." Gwenyth added, suddenly feeling worried. She then started adjusting her jacket, standing up. "Will you be okay on your own, Aaron?" She asked sweetly in his direction.

Aaron just winked in her direction, reassuring her softly. "It's okay, Gwenie. Your shot now." He gestured. "I'm proud, to say the least."

Gwenyth just chuckled openly, turning around to leave after slapping Harry's thigh playfully. What was it with people slapping everyone's thighs lately? Daniel thought.

As soon as Gwenyth left, Daniel drought in silence in between either guys, who were either texting or staring over towards the girl who had just disappeared through the kitchen.

Then he grimaced.

To his left, Aaron changed his position into a more comfortable one now, looking over at Daniel with amusement. Then he nodded towards him, grimacing in a smug but funny way.

"We saved the day, the party, and a classmate." Aaron recalled. "Not bad at all, don'tcha think?"

Daniel chuckled with a smile, not breaking their eye contact.

"Mneh, not bad. At least we'll remember it." He replied with modesty. Then Aaron made a popular laughing sound with his throat.

Daniel beamed sincerely in his direction.

"Mom left for France two days ago. Me and Hadid have almost wrecked the house ever since." He confessed, playing with the strings of his "Thrasher" hoodie, the one he treated himself after skating for two years and finally thought it was safe to think no one would point him out as a poser. Like he would be one, anyways.

"And it became your perfect opportunity to play the girlfriend/Playbox formula during test week." Daniel beamed, turning towards him. Harry seemed busy yet with this important someone. "Especially the Gwenyth one." The contrary cackled at this, blushing.

"Yeah." Aaron smiled, friendly. "Two times. One before the final test, and yesterday. Well, the day before yesterday." He corrected himself. Then he looked into Daniel's eyes. "They're cool parents though. They know what I'm up to, and I don't bullshit them."

Daniel rolled his eyes with fun. "So they know about this night, too?"

Aaron chuckled, busted. "It is well known that we both know how to clean and polish floors faster than the nanny." He added, pulling a face.

"Since you host so many parties that you shouldn't be throwing." Daniel added with a laugh. "Understandable." He chuckled.

"I'm serious. We almost convinced Dad to fire Georgia and clean ourselves." Aaron confessed with fun. "But then the house is huge, and Mom didn't like the idea..."

"You're in deep shit once we're all gone, right?" Daniel laughed.

Aaron widened his eyes in a comical way, grinning softly. Then he bit his lip and scratched the back of his neck, portraying himself as a naughty son.

Soon, Craig and Jensen had come to listen, sitting next to Aaron. They both high-fived Aaron while he was doing his story-telling, who directed smiles to them both as he talked.

"I'll be scratching the floor until six, while all your asses sleep." He chuckled, before adding. "Hadid and I used to help each other on that. She did the kitchen drawers and I did the ceiling." He laughed.

"The drawers?!" Daniel cackled, narrowing his eyes while he pulled a confused face.

"How come the ceiling didn't ring any bells?!" Aaron joked back, hitting Daniel softly. "Oh, and we had to change our parent's bedroom sheets. That was the most disgusting thing we ever made." He added.

"Yuh, how I yelled along the hallway, screaming that there were stains on your parent's sheets when I found them." Jensen added, pointing at him. "I know what sex smells like."

"Gross." Harry chuckled, still texting.

"Tell me about it." Aaron replied, covering his eyes. "We cleaned for like thirty minutes, me and J."

Daniel turned his head over to the guy with the black curls, to whom he dedicated a smile. Harry stared towards Diaz with hooded eyes, to whom he winked. Daniel rolled his eyes humoristically, as if he was enjoying it, in reply.

"If there's someone you should hire as a nanny, it should be me." Jensen added, talking to Aaron.

"Your ultimate sexual fantasy." Daniel laughed. The rest joined. Jensen bit his lip, putting his hands up in peace before a girl came running towards him and jumped on top of his body.

"Hi, babe." Jensen saluted under the girl's clothes, before wrapping his arms around Felicity. Then they both kissed as the girl climbed onto the couch.

Aaron made a lump on his cheek in a fun way, followed by Harry's, Craig's and Daniel's laugh. Craig crossed his arms, still cackling, and denied with his head.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

Gwenyth walked into the bathroom where Mia was being attended by Pete Valley, who was opening the water tap for her. The bathroom was spacious, had a marble floor, a jacuzzi, a shower and a modern sink, where the young inexperienced girl was being helped by the redhead.

The slim girl took off her bubblegum blue jacket and closed the tap before tossing it over the sink. Then she positioned herself beside Pete, who stepped back slowly. Mia's watery eyes elevated up to her level, blinking twice before placing a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked wrecked, damn.

"Hi, Mia." Gwenyth saluted with a soft voice, placing Mia's strands of hair behind her ears with a warm smile. Whoever had done anything to Mia would pay for it. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked sweetly in her direction.

The girl nodded, a bit lost before Aaron's girlfriend started placing her jacket aside to open the tap, holding Mia's wrist softly and making her clean her face. In the meantime, she kneeled in front of the cupboards to grab wet wipes.

The bathroom was surprisingly clean to have been taken care of by two lonely teenagers. The jacuzzi didn't have soap stains and the mirror didn't have water sprinkler over its surface, perfectly clean and untouched. The redhead boy proceeded to finally calm down as the girl had come to rescue the situation, since he sucked at making girls feel better in these type of situations. Mainly because he didn't know how to handle his wrecked classmate in the best way possible. But with Gwenyth there, he kind of figured out she just needed familiar faces close and kind hands to help her calm down. He felt eternally sorry that a girl like Mia, inexperienced and shy, had to make it through shit like that. It was really unfair, and definitely affected her trust for parties now.

Pete Valley, who carried a worried but calm expression walked over to the wall closest to the mirror, and leant against it. He observed Mia wash her face with clean water, and dry it with napkins that Gwenyth handed out to her. After it, she proceeded to give her wet wipes with which she could brush away her makeup stains completely.

Silence. Should he say something, to break the ice and lift her spirits up? He had no idea about Mia, apart from the fact they shared air in the same four walls during almost seven hours five days a week and that they had been mission companions for that night.

"Mia... Hey." The redhead started with a careful tone. Gwenyth elevated her look towards him, while Mia shifted delicately. "I know it's easier to hear this than actually doing it... But you _do_ know that you should neglect stuff you don't want to do, right?"

Mia's impotency inside her body soothed down a bit, feeling like someone was finally trying to care for her inner hurt child. As if anyone had realized. _She shouldn't have left Cecily when finishing Chris's nails_ , in fact, she could've learned something from the girls that were styling their hairs in Hadid's bathroom.

Silence. Gwenyth crossed her bare arms over her chest, pressing against her short plaid dress. A thin lacy black choker decorated her neck, tied up with a small ribbon. Mia, who finally brushed the wipe against her skin, stared at her cleaner reflection in the mirror now. Pete stared at her all the time now, watching how her small and gentle body recovered some confidentness. It was clear she liked what she was wearing, but not what she wore inside. Humiliation and fear still decorated her head like a heavy and uncomfortable crown, making her head tilt towards the front and fall down a bit. Mia fought this, as her hands proceeded to trace her face features and her lip stopped trembling eventually. Every second made Pete eager to be enlightened with each of Mia's steps towards a better version of herself.

"I know." Mia said with a surprisingly secure tone, adoring the girl that she saw in the mirror. Her eyes had fire now. She didn't want to be the insecure girl that felt ugly, miserable and less than the rest. _Her past experience and Cecily's friendship had made her buckle up, as well as that great stylish hair that Felicity had created with her golden fingers_.

Silence. Pete grimaced sadly, staring towards the lavender bar of soap resting over its plate. Then he elevated his look to watch how Mia combed her left strand of hair with her fingers, adoring herself for what seemed to be the first time in her life, curious towards her reflection. Gwenyth placed herself behind her, styling her hair lazily with her hands and experimenting until she achieved a careless and rebellious look.

"But I'm definitely not that weak and fragile girl they met earlier." She spoke, changing her tone gradually into a threatening one.

Silence. Pete widened his eyes, while Gwenyth exhaled calm, nodding. Then she placed a hand over Mia's shoulder, who averted her eyes towards the black-haired girl.

"I'm not letting that take away what's left. Whatever this party has for me, I want to take it." Mia added smartly. Pete smiled undecipherable, his eyes shining with something new now.

"As a woman, it's my job to stand up for myself." She commented, making Gwenyth stare at her with admiration. "After all, like Dua Lipa said, can't teach a guy how to wear his pants like a man. Hard art, yenno."

Pete widened his eyes softly, batting his eyelids with astonishment. Wait. Mia Bailey Who? The blonde girl who had been almost hurt earlier, now developed into her own heroine before him. _She looked amazing doing that._ It was one of the smartest reactions he had ever witnessed from a girl who had little experience in the streets. It was almost... Admirable. To say the least.

The black-haired girl clapped swiftly. "Yeah, girl?!" She grinned. "Exactly. That fucker was only messing with you: he's probably a looser who doesn't know better. You're different."

Suddenly Mia Bailey formed a dangerous smirk, hovering over the sink. The pain and weakness that had got stuck in her heart and eyes, suddenly transformed into energy, and gifted her a jolt of confidence. She kept surprising Pete in a way he hadn't been in a really long time, who now observed her with a caring expression from where he had crossed his arms against the wall. The girl glowed treacherously, emanating a vibe that Gwenyth received with a soft "fuck yeah".

"In fact, he's going to be sorry that he did so." She spit with venom, pulling away from the sink with certainty. The redheaded gulped, surprised. _Wait, what?_ The sudden strike of reliability that Mia's tone adopted sent a wave of astoundment through the redhead's body, who now looked over at Gwenyth. The black-haired girl stiffened. Then Mia looked over at Pete, who was left completely dumbfounded in his place.

Gwenyth widened her eyes like plates, surprised by the shy girl's sudden change. "M-Mia... Are you okay?" Pete looked towards the blonde girl too.

Mia just shrugged. "I want his name." She said with a cold tone. Pete looked over at Gwenyth, who looked at him. "Actually, forget it. I just want his girlfriend's name. I'll arrange things faster that way." She said in the most pure Alison's style from _Pretty Little Liars._ "I think I have someone that could help get him busted."

"H-How are we supposed to know that?" Gwenyth asked in a soft voice, walking over to her to place a hand over her shoulder, trying to get the idea out of her head. Pete also walked closer, tugging from the end of his sleeves, trying to keep cool about his classmate's revenge lust. "It's okay, Mia. He was just a looser. Don't turn all revengeful for this, be better."

Pete's heart, though, only started to beat faster when the girl continued pushing her cause. _Deliberately_. Had he ever seen a woman be so upstraight after almost being pulled to her knees?

Valley observed Mia Bailey fill up her clothe with harshness, her eyes spitting that fire, while she was ready to bark relentlessly without a muzzle. Could he handle watching her go crazy without wanting to hold her back? He acknowledged girls to stand up for themselves, he was sure. What he didn't trust, though, were the endless number of people who watched out for easy preys to trick.

Mia Bailey seemed to want to learn the rules of the game, though. _Why was that suddenly an irresistibly praiseworthy idea?_

"Why be better, when I can just mess with his fragile masculinity?" She rolled her eyes with a smirk. "I'll be doing his girlfriend a favour."

The redhead uncrossed his arms, amazed with the girl in the floral dress behave in such a defiant way, and played her cards with cold tactic. Mia almost send him chills, and shook him at the same time.

Gwenyth proceeded to gulp, even when nothing in this world could surprise her anymore. But coming from duckling Mia? She could feel the blonde girl's body laughing cruelly at that nickname now. She let out a soft "er..." while brushing her hands past her shoulders softly. "Just don't do anything stupid, okay? Don't get yourself into trouble and less with drunk people. That's the first rule."

"What is this? Nerve?" Mia chuckled. It was clear that she wasn't going to chicken out now, and Pete found himself not wanting to stop whatever motivated Mia on wrecking bad guys. Or whatever her plan was. _If she had one._

Then he stepped in, interrupting their little conversation. He turned towards Mia, whom he pushed a bit backwards to catch her attention.

"Listen, Mia. I know you don't like anyone kidding you. But just listen." Gwenyth turned to grab her bubblegum blue jacket, throwing it around her shoulders while she listened. Her eyes carried fret all along. "You should wait at first, calm down for a bit, yenno. Think about what you're going to do. Stay with us, and don't leave with any strangers, not even for a drink." Mia elevated an eyebrow, finally exhaling calm. "We'll even help you if you want. Just please don't go on your own. Since... People are reckless here." He said with a hint of fright in his voice, and hope at the same time.

Mia stared at them both before finally uncrossing her arms. Then she separated from them both, and walked over to the sink, where she stared at her new expression on her face. She leant against the white material, softening her look.

"I just want to help myself." She finally said with a calmer tone, her eyes hardening still. Pete shifted and turned around on his heels, walking over to where Mia was standing. He stopped a few steps away, as well as Gwenyth. "I would never let anyone get away with mocking me. And less if that involves my integrity and confidence. It makes me sick." She ended with a poisonous voice.

Pete Valley exhaled serenely, while Gwenyth leant against the door, stopping anyone from bursting in with their flirt. Her eyes batted, bothered with the whole situation. She definitely had to talk with Aaron and get this someone out. Maybe they already had. The redhead proceeded to place a soothing hand over Mia's neck, who elevated her savage expression towards their reflection in the mirror. Mia looked strangely distressed. Pete wanted to cool that down, somehow, since he was slightly scared that it would get out the worst from Mia, and give her a bad time.

"Mia, just stay with us for now. We get it, no one messes around with you. Just have a second thought before jumping into action." He said with a soporific tone, as he whispered quietly into her ear. His eyes went directly to her ear, which was decorated with a diamond piece. _So delicate._

 _And her personality so turbulent_.

Oh well.

"Let's... Let's get out. Shall we?" He asked, staring over at their reflection again. The girl nodded slowly, elevating her look too. Her floral dress suddenly felt too little for her alter ego.

Mia Bailey and Pete Valley stared towards the mirror dauntlessly, receiving the new vibe that emanated from each other with curiosity, glued to each other like it was written in the stars. _Like a sign_.

"Yeah." Mia answered, letting go of her initial rage with hesitation. Pete knew it was for the best, for the moment given.

Gwenyth smirked towards them both, placing a bubblegum pill inside her mouth before sticking out her phone. Then she talked to Pete.

"Good. Now get out Valley, me and Hadid have some makeup to do." She smirked.

Mia blinked, half surprised and half tired. _From changing, being kidded and moving from place to place_.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

Harry frowned in his direction, weary. Bygone memories of a grayer time where his soul felt abandoned and heavy, walking across the wet field with a vexed expression, filled his mind whenever he laid eyes on the black haired short boy with green eyes. Rainy days where he was muddling himself up constituted his routine, wondering what he had done wrong until there were no answers left except a meaningless and empty home he didn't acknowledge then. He used to miss a friend he didn't recognize anymore, and mourn the death of someone who was still alive. Both of them continued to stab his heart sharply, making him cling onto a ridiculous hope that things would change. He could feel his fears make fun of him right then, kicking his knees with cruelty when he wasn't ready to fall down yet.

Fucking Luca. _Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, man._

He remembered the green eyed boy evading him like they had never been significant to each other, disregarding his many efforts to keep their friendship at bay and making him feel like it had never been worth it. It had been a bitter, painful and pungent pain, one of those pains that you can't forget in a lot of time. One that left scars. Basically Harry was who he was, resentful and embittered, because of that dark and throbbing episode.

_Who the fuck gave him the right to come back?_

"Harry, you gon' slay that boy with your eyes until the end of the party?" Aaron asked with a soft grunt, while Jensen and Felicity continued to kiss on the edge of the couch. Craig and Daniel listened to them, looking towards the boy with black curls.

Harry shrugged, emotionless. He grimaced without any affection, turning his body towards Aaron. Then he aimed his eyes at him, who received him with a warm smile. Daniel turned his eyes towards Luca, the indirect guilty one behind Harry's mood, and then talked to his friend on the couch.

"You know, Luca actually seemed sorry earlier..." Daniel talked with a soft voice. Aaron and Craig listened closely, while Harry rolled his eyes unimpressed. Then he shifted towards the party host. "He's been such a master douchebag. I couldn't have done what he did, and I would'nt have had the balls to look into my eyes after what he did. But damn, those moves were amazing. It's like, it's not like I hate him, I just don't invest that kind of energy in him. I can't. He was our friend before, and I knew deep inside that he would never had continued dragging that shit." He confessed, proud. "I used to stare at him and think; Luca, come back to your fucking senses. Come back. Then he suddenly broke up with Chris and helped me with Mark. That is like, too surreal for a master villain's plan? It's like he never intended anything from the start. Or still, even though he fucked up, it's like he still had a sense of shame inside." He said, receiving a collective agreement.

Craig nodded, thoughtful about what he had said. Aaron grimaced, looking over at the figure drinking next to Vera and Becka that had caused Harry's bad mood.

Soon, Pete Valley appeared in scene with a satisfacted expression. He winked an eye towards Harry and smiled towards them all, pushing his hair out of his face. Then he slumped down next to Daniel, to whom he tilted towards and whispered to update him on Mia. Daniel widened his eyes softly after receiving the information, nodding in silence before looking over at Harry.

Nevertheless, Harry didn't look amused at all. Instead, he clicked his tongue. "Sorry. Not impressed. He was a douchebag the whole fucking time. Acting like a hero doesn't make him any less of what he is." He said with a cold and sharp tone.

Daniel stared at Aaron, grimacing. The smug Tiktok guy smiled croakedly, stopping himself from adding anything. It was his friend's decision whether to accept his apologies or not. Pete frowned softly, remaining silent.

"I think Luca could be just right." Said Craig with a hopeful tone, groaning a bit. "It's obvious that he won't have it easy from now on, but I don't think he's that bad if he eventually made things right. That's what I'm talking about." He added, earning a nodd from Aaron and the redhead, who was now looking at him. _At Luca._

Daniel stared appalled towards Harry now, encountering his passionless eyes and disgusted smile. He started denying with his head, unable to agree.

"Maybe you guys can forgive him, with the whole Penny Badges thing. I can't." Harry confessed in a sour tone. Then he crossed his arms. "Don't worry about me, after a couple drinks I won't give a fuck about anything. And I won't be a burden to your asses."

It was that moment when Daniel finally saw it. He started to feel every pound that his heart made, every beat banging in his ears as his body stood up from the couch, slowly and inconceivable. Stars appeared on his eyes, the image forming before him in a blinking, flashing, 80's-filter style way. That delicacy exposed in those careful arms, walking with that tip-toeing wariness that made Daniel want to break all of the rules with that person. Grab them and ask them really politely to please loose their minds and never fall into cautiousness again for the night. Those profound eyes wicked him, that seemed like those crystal blue caribbean shores that pushed and pulled you like the boy's personality did. Everything about him screamed wildness, something he had never ever seen before on him, and hadn't failed to add up to his careful manners that were so annoyingly desirable. Daniel's eyes earned glitter, wondering about all of the things he could possibly tell him, and how many of them would end up with his flustered face. Yeah. He was low on filters right now, and found himself wanting to go straight to the point with him. Fuck slow now. He wanted it all, and that 'everything' glowed passionately before him. He had been a _fucking_ idiot to ignore him for a whole month.

_Because he looked so, so, so enchantingly sexy._

Could someone please hand him out a guide for dummies on how to handle _Chris Fucking Blew My Mind Already Walking So Carefully Down The Stairs_ _Erisken_ making his way towards him?

It was right then when Daniel knew he was late to start gulping, for the very least. Things were going to get ridiculously hot, and he knew he had found the golden ticket in his chocolate bar at last.

At _fucking_ last.

"He looks... Stunning." He breathed out with his last gasp left, when suddenly all of their friends around them looked at him.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

( **Memories** \- Kid Cudi 2021 Remix)

Chris smiled over to where Daniel was mocking around with Harry, dressed in a long-sleeve black and white striped shirt, with beige trousers while he recorded a home video with his friend. The brown haired football boy proceeded to ruffle his friend's hair with black curls and put an arm around their neck, laughing and high on life as they screamed into the phone. _He chuckled_. When he had arrived to the room, minutes before, Daniel's eyes seemed to have held an undecipherable expression that had gone straight to his heart, and stopped him in his tracks before Cecily pulled him along in between giggles. He had been supposed to come down right after Cecily and Felicity had done his makeup, but had decided to help out with Cecily's look too, as well as others.

_When their eyes met, the young Diaz boy proceeded to push their hair back, melting into a bolder surprised expression while the rest of their friends reacted to the scene, either cheering and clapping or hitting Daniel's back with fun. Since when had he been an interesting topic to interact with? He had remembered walking into his classroom only to find him with a smug vibe around him, joking about their relationship in between gossiping and cold-looking students, that were ass-kissing the football players of the night. But right then, he felt like an interesting subject to everyone; unlike a joke that would fall out of style or that would get wasted. He felt amusing and fun, someone who could give others a good time. Especially his best friend whom he wished to impress for the night, and wished he could finally ask to turn their usual board games and gossiping sleepovers, into midnights that would steal their sleep away in between a game that they'd both win at, finally._

Would he gather the courage to finally give into that innocent act that almost turned things upside down in the office? He still remembered stuttering when he had admitted that he wished that Aaron hadn't interrupted their almost "kiss". Would he want to continue that path? Was it any different than all of the things that had come their way throughout the years? He was sometimes scared to think about it, given the fact that things in between him and Daniel had tensed up a bit, ever since their little "affair" matter tingled in the air. It felt like a bomb, beeping and counting down until a moment that nothing would matter anymore until their lips were kissing. He'd never thought about that before! It was something crazy. Him and Daniel? Like that?

He felt like it had finally come his way, waiting for him to grab it. Chris sat down on the couch, next to Pete Valley while he readjusted his white beanie. The redhead winked at him shortly, before saying something inaudible to Craig at his left while Chris was left thoughtful. Should he grab it? It wasn't something he was entirely sure about. Daniel was a good guy, and would almost be in for anything as long as he liked it. But kissing? Would he actually enjoy that with him, and not change anything between them? Sure, they were almost grown-up adults that had grown up with sufficient sexual education, but still, debating whether it was a good idea to carry out these type of things with his extrovert and friendly neighbour, was a fair bet.

For some reason, he felt a younger Daniel voicing and echoing inside his mind, recalling a time where they had gone out to buy a Christmas pine tree with his father Charles. It had been a quiet sunny morning, when the place wasn't sufficiently crowded to become a hassle for the parents, and the snow that surrounded the landscape like a white blanket was melting like an ice lolly. After some while they had sat down in a corner, over some boxes, and he asked for Daniel to come over for the Christmas dinner. He seemed joyful to go and ask his only grandparents left to come over, and when he had, finally, it had been the start of an innocent, fulfilling and unforgettable friendship that extended throughout the years. He had been so excited to have visit back then; Creek's streets had felt empty for so long, without a kid of his own age to develop anything beautiful with, or to include in his imaginative spirit squad.

Now, almost six or seven years later, they were stepping onto the next level. For the very least, they tried to. They were sneaking like kids, but talking like grown-ups. Dancing like young ones as well, but craving for more complicated and lustful things. Age meant a lot, the older they grew. Chris didn't get nostalgic or emo towards those things, not at all, but he really had observed quite an evolution in their relationship as Daniel met more people and developed different interests than Chris's. For a while, it seemed like Daniel had been ready to leave for good and go to sleep inside one of the many photos that the blonde boy kept of him, and let his friend pretend that maybe he hadn't dumped him for anyone, but gone for a vacation into one of his polaroids.

It was a hard one. It was almost impossible to remain friends with Daniel after many years, yet develop into something more complex and physical, that involved sneaking into a gym at night and cheating on his flirt. Where were they heading towards? Was it an enlightened path, where things would become clearer, or was he blindly walking into a one-way street?

"Hey, Chrissy!" Pete Valley exclaimed to his right, who had just got up. He proceeded to say something towards the party host, and walked over towards him instead. He wore his usual friendly smile, and kept pushing his hair back in that confident mannner like he always did. "You want me to pour some gasoline into a cup for ya?" He asked with fun. Aaron, who had been chilling out next to Chris, beamed towards him and placed a strand of black hair behind her ear.

Suddenly Chris blinked, trying to make a relation in between him and a cup of alcohol. Wait, was he expected to drink? His mind tried to make a quick compilation of all of the crazy stuff that would happen to him, if he decided to intoxicate his body with liquor: blurry vision, poor balance, bad decisions that would lead to waking up in a stranger's room... Would he ever manage to do that? It appeared kind of scary to Chris, doing things he probably wouldn't even approve of if he was sober. Besides, you can't really thing straight when you drink, so how come you'll take right decisions for yourself?

"Eh... I..." Chris stammered with a soft smile, not wanting to deceive his brand new acquaintance. He tried to imagine being friends with Pete for a moment: partying too much, becoming sporty and fit, too many _Instagram_ notifications... Should he agree to have a cup of a tiny-winy drink? Just to try.

"It's okay, little padawan." Pete Valley chuckled, before he was hit on by his shoulder suddenly by Craig. Then they both moved towards the direction his finger aimed, as well as Chris.

_As well as everyone else._

They all looked over at where Hadid Hill and Gwenyth Miller were strolling into the room. _For the love of god_ , they all thought. They were followed by an amazing, lustrous and mysterious new girl with blonde waves and maroon red lipstick, dressed in a black mesh short-sleeve bodycon dress, showered with silver glitter, dark eyeshade and velvet low heels. Suddenly Aaron, Craig and Harry turned, widening their eyes with gradual amazement, letting out animated exclaims and cheering. Who was _that_?

Daniel smirked from his place, feeling proud and happy for the familiar girl, who looked somewhat fulfilled. Whoever that new girl was, seemed about to have the whole world for her first course, and also Pete's complete and utter attention, who remained wide-eyed beside him. _Yikes_.

Craig was about to add something when he fell in deeper in the couch, realizing who the girl actually was. _Wow_.

That was... Mia Bailey? As in, _their_ Mia? Daniel blinked twice, looking over at Pete. The redhead's eyes were shining and widening with bewildered amazement, like nothing had ever impressed him as much as the scene developing in front of them.

Stars seemed to shine around her as her smile widened in their friend group direction, a soft red patch spreading around her cheeks when she saw all of the amazed faces looking at her. _How_ _embarassing_ _!_

Soon, Gwenyth walked close to them both before hitting Pete's cheek playfully. Everyone cheered and yelled, screaming something towards the redhead.

"Don't you be staring at my girl now, I'm watching you." Gwenyth threatened him with fun. Daniel blinked with humorous smile.

Mia Bailey dropped next to Aaron, who had stuck out a hand for her to clap. The girl proceeded to blush softly, high-fiving him in a friendly manner. Daniel winked at her with a pleased expression before she shrugged slowly, smiling as she rolled her eyes. _She then bit her lip, trying to suppress her nervousness_.

"Don't think I'm going to let you lead Mia on that easily, Valley." The black-haired girl added with a wink. The boy then widened their eyes.

Pete's cheeks burned. Laughs. His eyes searched for the short blonde girl involuntarily then, who soon spotted her being busy exchanging words with Aaron. He gulped.

In that precise moment, Luca appeared in the scene, who had received a text from Aaron to come along and sit down with them. His body was slightly tense, already smelling Harry's disgust from the opposite corner of the room. Now that they were metres close, the boy with the black curls stung of aversion, and his eyes stared with fire towards Luca's. The last one tensed up as he took closer steps towards Aaron, who blinked at him even though his salty friend seemed like kicking his ass out of the place anytime. "C'm here! Have a seat." The black haired boy obeyed reluctantly, trying to ignore Harry with huge effort.

The same amazed reaction kept spreading all over the friend group, who either widened their eyes with dazzlement or scanned the new girl from head to toes. The event attendants filled the room with fun, partying loudly and throwing their hands up in the air, talking or dancing, gossiping or kissing with strangers (or their partners). The music was loud, and continued to blast from the many speakers distributed around the house. People's spirits adquired many colours now, their eyes shining with glitter and their smiles broadened, giving the party the prestige it deserved.

Chris blinked; _holy fuck_ , it was Mia Bailey dressed up as a complete new different person! She certainly looked amazing, even for him. He grimaced, happy.

Gwenyth hit Pete playfully before pulling away, soon joining the blonde girl and her boyfriend with a loving attitude. She slumped over Aaron's lap, soon gathering Cecily, Felicity and Chloe to shriek at Mia's new outfit. Then they shared laughs, sitting down and started a conversation of their own.

Chris smiled like crazy in Pete's direction, who soon returned his look towards him. He blinked, shrugging ignorantly. "What?"

The blonde haired one chuckled, closing their eyes with fun. Daniel laughed along, making Chris share profound smiles with them. The brown-haired one with the purple streak then grimaced, shy. _Had he ever seen him fluster like that before?_

He turned towards the redhead, nevertheless. Chris elevated their eyebrows, suggestively, before Pete smacked their shoulder while drowning in full embarrassment mode. _As if he didn't know._

"Well. Talking about the gasoline cup..." Chris spoke again, mumbling.

Pete soon recovered their cool in a blink.

"Yeah, well. I can just tell by the look on your face that you're not familiar with booze, dude. But don't you worry! Barman Valley's on the house." He boasted, followed by Craig's, Mia's and Gwenyth's chuckles. Chris grinned, amused by the redhead like he had always been. _He thanked destiny for making him cross paths with Daniel's friend._

He then scratched a bit under Hadid's beanie, and tugged on his flannel's sleeves before listening loyally to Pete, who now made a slow and proud turn. Soon Harry came along, pulling Daniel's arm to take him away from the group. _He needed a Luca break, Chris thought, urgently_.

He watched them leave then, soon before Daniel turned his head over his shoulder in Chris's direction. He grimaced, apologetic for having to separate. The blonde boy grimaced patiently instead, dismissing him with a smile. Then the brown-haired one was gone.

"What do you say? You in for a magic potion that'll make you like everything you can possibly dream about?" He asked, flamboyant. "Be careful though, don't give into stuff just because it looks cool under its effect. Come to me or Mia Bailey when you want to do something crazy. If we say yes, it'll be something normal."

Mia Bailey then grinned with a soft red patch burning over her cheeks, covering her mouth as she leaned forwards for a bit, killing the awkwardness before nodding towards the blonde boy. Gwenyth and Craig were already laughing.

"Exactly. We can be your last option when you're not sure. I won't drink tonight, if you ask." Mia assured in a bold voice, uncrossing her arms.

"Me neither." Pete Valley added, winking another eye at the girl. _Mia blushed_. Then he smiled. "Besides, I have to take care of my lovely Chrissy now. Don't wanna be a shitty parent to my kids someday." Pete smirked while coming closer to the Eriksen boy.

Chris grinned to the point of chuckling softly, looking up to the redhead teenager that had stopped before him, offering him a hand. "What do you mean, then?"

"I mean, that while Daniel is busy talking his shit with Harry, we can enlighten your spirit a bit." He confessed, making Chris blush and deny with his head, covering himself in his flannel as if it was a blanket. But Pete wasn't buying it either. "Chrissy, don't worry, okay? Look at me."

 _He did_. The bunch of gold locks with the light blue eyes looked up again, his cheeks with a more natural colour now.

"Do you want a juice flavoured cocktail? Something really light, you won't even realize it's got booze in it." Pete offered him, sharing smiles with Gwenyth and Mia. The last one looked especially flustered, who stood up. "Orange or tropical juice, yenno?"

Gwenyth already clapped, excited that the virgin partier was finally going to give into vices. She then brushed a hand against Chris's shoulder, who beamed back at her, pulling an annoyed but funny face.

"Yeah, I'll even make sure he doesn't poison you." Mia mocked the Valley one, positioning herself beside him. She started crossing arms and smiling towards Chris, Daniel's crush apparently, who seemed about to burst steam anytime. _He looked adorable_. Why had she never seen him before?

Pete Valley nudged her softly, who groaned back at him with a smile. She clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes before the redhead guy leant over Chris.

"So? Are you going to pass the first trust game round?" Pete asked with a true and vibrant smile. Kindness and braveness shimmered in his eyes, reminding Chris that it was just one of his tricks to give him a nice time. It shouldn't be anything dangerous; besides, he kind of trusted Mia on watching out for his safeness.

Under Craig's, Gwenyth's, Mia's and Pete's eager look, he smiled and let his back lean against the couch, nodding with a permissive smile. Pete and Gwenyth burst into claps, while Craig cheered something that he didn't entirely understand. Mia covered half of her face that was already burning with blush, and grimaced towards him when they crossed eyes. I know the same as you do, she told him with her eyes.

"Okaaaaaay!" Pete shrieked like an animal. "Bring it on!" He clapped, pulling back and walking towards the kitchen that remained behind his body.

In a seconds time, he had already grabbed a red cup from the pile over the kitchen counter and positioned himself in front of a bowl of punch, where he kneeled in front of the furniture. When he stood up again, he reappeared with a can of lemonade in his hands, showing it to Chris in the distance and shaking it with a smile.

Chris beamed from his seat, tucked up by Gwenyth's and Craig's laughs. Mia was making her way towards the guy, crossing her arms in a defensive way. The blonde boy bit his lip at this; had he seen Mia and Pete interact before? He watched with amusement how Pete Valley continued to make a show of throwing the can up in the air, making weird barman tricks that came out as funny and pouring the content into the cup.

Then Pete searched for Chris with his eyes, grimacing. When he had captured the blonde boy's attention, he proceeded to point him with his finger, asking him to wait for a second before he disappeared. Mia stared at the cup the whole time, making sure no one stuffed any crap in it. She lift a thumb up, watching how Pete suddenly came back with an Absolut Vodka transparent bottle, which he continued to lift up in the air like a trophie, soon receiving a bunch of cheers and applauds.

"This one's for you, Chrissy!" He yelled out towards a blushing Chris who observed everyone else with sheepishness. Mia rolled her eyes with fun, sticking close before finally uncrossing her arms. She exhaled deeply.

"Make sure you don't pour much material. Remember that Chris doesn't drink, and that he'll probably want to know what he's doing." Mia said, walking closer towards the joking redhead. He looked up for a second, encountering his guarding and responsible classmate leaning her hands against the counter. He couldn't help but lay his eyes on her lips for a moment, the velvet shade in them grasping his attention for a second.

Then he chuckled. "Don't worry, Plain Jane. I'm just pouring a shot for the most, don't wanna wreck the kid in his first night." Pete smiled sincerely, opening the bottle with confidence. Mia elevated an eyebrow in his direction, unsatisfied, before the contrary stared back.

Was Pete Valley going to make her feel boring now? Did she really need to take out her cards and work something out, in her quest of proving that Mia Bailey wasn't someone you could possibly forget easily? She crossed her arms, pulling a face before Gwenyth came close to join her. Pete gulped.

"What?"

"Plain Jane wouldn't do this." She smirked, snatching the bottle away from his hands. He gasped, while Chris widened his eyes. He couldn't see much from his place other than what ever Pete was fiddling with, but he certainly could distinguish Mia trying to... Impress Pete Valley? Or her friend? Both, maybe?

 _Oh well, well, well_.

With that said, she placed the bottle in between her lips and took a generous short sip from the bottle, passing it over to Gwenyth. The black haired girl also took a raw sip from the recipient, before shaking it in Amber's and Chloe's direction. The girls shrieked and got up to join them too, in between laughter and cool poses.

"Okay, then, Pete Valley." Mia said, spitting the last surname. The rest of the group oooh-ed in their direction, making Pete blush. "Plain Jane's ass is off here, and it's gonna twerk until it hits the ground." She exclaimed, directing a finger downwards, showing the motion that her body would do if it were dancing. Gwenyth cheered after her, clapping and holding onto an excited Chloe. "And it's not Plain Jane tonight, it's a G-6."

The group exploded into loud and heavy cheers. Craig, Jensen, Aaron, Daniel, Harry, Luca, as well as Gwenyth and both of her friends all widened their eyes with surprise and amazement, incredulous towards Mia's new alter and party ego that had succeeded at making Pete Valley elevate their eyes in her direction, watching her leave with Gwenyth, Chloe and Amber. Pete Valley melted into a wide grin when Chloe gave him the bottle back, and proceeded to stare, almost in slow-motion, how Mia Bailey turned her head over her shoulders to throw a curious glace over at Valley, just to check if they were looking.

And they damn were. Mia smiled before resuming her walk, leaving Pete to bite their lower lip and pour a small amount of vodka into the cup, before stuffing a colourful straw in it. Then he grimaced towards Mia, who was long gone with her new friends.

 _Wow_.

Chris continued grimacing, sarcastically proud of the way things had turned out in seconds. "Next time I ain't gonna contact you to check my drinks out, Mia." He said, faking deceivement as he checked his brand new white nails painted by the same girl. The rest let out gradual yells, supporting Chris's cause. Mia started to blush wildly.

Pete locked eyes with the blonde girl, stirring the drink in circles with the straw, exhaling exhausted in a fake way. Then he pushed himself off the counter, denying his head with enthusiasm. "As I was saying, behold the Pete Valley's barman professionality..." He started, before grabbing the drink and walking over to Chris's seat before stopping before him. Then he turned around towards Mia with mockingness. "Check how I make sure myself that Chris won't get hurt."

Then he took a sip from the drink, gulping the content in front of them all. "Whatever happens to you, my dear, will happen to me." He winked towards Chris, to whom he handed out the drink. The blonde boy accepted the cup that the redhead had kindly prepared for him with blushing cheeks, glad to have someone caring for them in middle of all that craziness. Daniel was too shy and awkward to say anything anyways.

Mia rolled her eyes, still smiling. Pete Valley came close to her, stopping just beside her ear, where he whispered into. "Next time just ask me out for a drink." He grunted, before pulling back to watch Mia's reaction. Her cheeks burned visibly even under the party lights, causing Pete to chuckle further. "Thanks for taking care of Chris's drink. It was cute from you."

Then he pulled away, leaving Mia to finish steaming off completely, in middle of screams, yells and whistling. Daniel covered his mouth with his hand in the distance, smiling like a lunatic and staring at Pete who slumped next to Chris with an _obvious_ expression. _Then he went back to Harry's bickering._

"Hey, Chrissy." Pete winked at him. The blonde boy smiled fondly of him, adoring that new nickname he had been assigned. Wasn't it the name he received when Pete was drunk? Back in the gym, he had already had much booze. He wouldn't get super wasted, right?

"Yo." He grinned back, looking back at him with hooded eyes. "I never left in the end. Funny how things turn out, huh?"

Pete grimaced. "I know! I thought you'd be leaving as soon as you left. I said "later, steezy" and you were gone."

The blonde boy chuckled, rolling his eyes. "I don't have any steez!" He cried.

"Yeah, you do! I can feel your good vibe coming my way. If I feel it, I name it." Pete Valley smiled with pride, getting out his phone and unlocking it. "You have any social media I can follow you in?"

Chris widened his eyes with a smile, staring over the place where Daniel had fixed his eyes in his direction. They both shared flustered smiles before he witnessed the brown haired boy scan him carefully. Oh god, could he stop making it happen... He was already so shy! The boy with blue eyes and freckles gestured for him to stop in a cheeky way, grinning helplessly. But the Diaz boy just shrugged, the same easy smile spreading over his lips as he watched his crush with a dreamy expression. Chris blinked, touched by the way that Daniel was looking at him, hoping to appear cute, at least. Judging by his eyes though, and by the way they had displayed, Chris felt desirable and aesthetically pleasing. He grimaced, shy and proud at the same time. Then he bit his lip, ignoring him on purpose before turning to Pete.

"You here, man?" Pete insisted. Then he chuckled. "Gosh, don't leave me hanging here. You can just go with him." He continued. "It's not like you haven't got on my nerves already." He joked.

"Sorry!" Chris laughed, hitting Pete playfully. The redhead faked pain, dramatically reacting to his innocent nudge. The boy with blue eyes continued chuckling, pulling a smile out of Daniel's lips, who was watching them from where he chilled next to Harry. "I have an Instagram account that's named _hawt_ _onesie_. Like with the gap in between."

Pete kept typing, looking over at him before clicking the search button, scrolling for a bit before showing Chris his own profile displayed on their screen. The boy with freckles nodded, taking another long sip. "Man, this tastes like juice!"

Pete smirked, knowing he had actually just poured in a normal amount of liquor. He well knew that minds were powerful, and if Chris believed that it wasn't a huge deal... Then it wasn't. That made him instantly responsible of his health, and couldn't pull away from him anymore until he made sure Chris wouldn't end up passing out in a corner. _It was his pleasure, anyways._

"It does?" Pete chuckled, looking over at Daniel, who alternated in between Harry's conversation and both of them. When their eyes met, Pete elevated a thumb, informing him on Chris's well-being next to him. Daniel's head fell down, pushing it back sheepishly. "Come to me when you want more of it. Only me, okay?" He told Chris, grabbing his chin softly to make him look into his eyes, who smiled instantly. "Chris, I'm serious. Mia went through bad shit earlier for not sticking around us." He said in a more serious voice.

_Really?_

"What? What happened to Mia?" He asked with sudden worry.

"She was picked on by some idiots who wanted to make her feel miserable. She tried to fight back, but we didn't let her. Now she's with us for the night." Pete summarized with confidence. "Now I'm repeating myself, Chris. Please don't do anything stupid and come to me to refill your drink. I'll have a sip from every refill you have, and I'll make sure that whatever happens to you, will happen to me too."

Chris melted into a tender smile. Could Pete Valley be any sweeter? He aimed adoration eyes at him, who received his reaction with a grin. "Pete, you're really a very good person." He said with a hint of seriousness.

Silence. Pete smirked in his direction. Chris Eriksen totally had to be part of Penny Badges Team now, and wouldn't take a no for an answer. He had to try, at least, for Daniel's happiness and the way he already loved the short and graceful boy.

"You're like my own blood now, dude." Pete nudged him softly but lovingly. "I loved what you did back there for my Danny boy." He said, love sparkling on his eyes. "You really got him wrapped around your finger now, do you know that?" He said with a smile.

A red patch spread over Chris's cheeks, making him roll his eyes and curse under his breath while he beamed. "I...I just didn't know what else to say! I can't let anyone talk about Daniel like those loosers were." He confessed, taking a long and generous sip from the drink, earning a cheer from Pete who took the drink away from him.

"One sip at a time, Chrissy!" He complained with fun.

"Whatever!" Chris laughed, taking another sip. Gwenyth shouted "Go, Chrissy!" Beside him.

Pete clicked the blue _follow_ button on his screen, before showing his brand new friend that he had done so. Chris smiled halfly, sipping on the delicious drink.

"I'll come back to you for another drink. That's for sure." Chris whispered into Pete's ear after leaning in. The redhead stuck his tongue out, smiling too much for his own good.

"Yo, that's the spirit, man. It will be just one or two more, though. I put a generous quantity of liquor in the first one." Pete grimaced, busted, while winking at him.

Chris widened his eyes, stopping himself from sipping furtherly.

"Pete?! You said a shot?!" He shrieked, recriminating him. "You're gonna make me drunk!" He laughed, covering his mouth.

Pete laughed loudly, clapping his hands in the air as Gwenyth joined, as well as Aaron who was brushing his palm along his girlfriend's upper thigh comfortably. The three of them continued to stare over at Chris fondly, like they were uncles taking care of someone's grandson.

 _Horny teenagers_ , Chris thought, as he sipped again from the drink. It was still delicious, at least.

"Two shots, Chrissy. And it won't make a super-effect on you until you double the amount." Pete informed him. "That's because you're new flesh." He said, earning Aaron's approval.

"Always ask for Pete when you want more, Chris. We're serious. He's the master here." Gwenyth said, pointing at him with a true smile. The blonde boy with the white beanie nodded, sipping again.

The boy with freckles nodded. Then he leant against Pete, whispering in his ear. "What did you talk with Luca about, earlier?"

Suddenly Pete adopted a more worried expression, denying with his head. Silence. Chris widened his eyes.

"Is he okay?" He frowned.

Pete nodded faintly, brushing his hand past Chris's shoulder in a reassuring way.

_3:15 am_

Chris felt something go up to his brain, which he couldn't tell apart form the rest of euphoric feelings he had experienced in his life. Was it, a self-esteem boost? Maybe caused by Pete Valley's company? The drink?

"I swear guys, I told you. This guy was going to throw up in the urn with my granny's ashes. I was so, so fucking mad." Craig story-told them about his nerve-racking episode back in February of that same year, days after their school trip to London.

Chris already felt hot by then. He had asked Pete for a refill under the redhead's mischevious smile, and his cheeks burned with something astounding. The world felt kind of new before his eyes, and Pete had started taking care of him more insistently than before. Daniel kept throwing glances at him, making sure that he kept count on how many sips his newbie best friend took. He even called him out, asking him if he was okay with his thumb. Chris, who had felt a sudden warm and slightly euphoric feeling enter his heart when Daniel interacted with him, found himself nodding repeatedly and scratching his left ear with blushing cheeks.

Daniel stared at him back with a soft pair of eyes, making Chris want to stand up and walk over to where he was chilling out, and properly tease him about the subtle stares and glances.

"Maybe that's the man that bothered Mia earlier." Gwenyth suddenly said with a worried expression, leaning over Aaron to face Craig. "What was his name?"

Craig frowned, melting into groans as he covered his nose with his index and thumb. "It was one of those fuckers we held back in the gym. Fucking Adam, guys."

A collective series of groans and curses filled the couch, making Mia blink with a worried expression. "I hadn't paid enough attention in the gym to tell whether they were the same person, but the tone definitely was similar. I dunno."

"Maybe it was Adam's twin brother. You know, the annoying rugby kid." Jensen said, while holding Felicity closer to his body. "I saw him earlier walking through the hallway in a bad mood. Who the fuck let him in?"

"What the fuck?" Aaron suddenly exclaimed, leaning over to his friend, receiving everyone's attention. He yelled over the music that was playing over the speakers. "Who was the fucker that did that? Come on guys, what the actual fuck?!"

"Oh, yeah!" Craig pushed his hair back, sticking out his phone. "I saw this story from Gary, his cousin. Yenno, the cool kid with the dreads, he sent me this photo. He was throwing up and now he's in their car on their way to Seattle." He told the guys. "Look."

Pete Valley was the first one to move towards the phone along with the rest, who watched a humiliating shot of Adam's twin brother being miserable a couple of streets away from Aaron's. They all groaned in between cursing, before Pete sat back down next to the blonde boy. He then denied with his head, putting his arm around Chris.

Soon, Mia was being pulled by Gwenyth, Chloe, Liz and Berry who took her to the dance floor in between giggles and shrieks. They soon formed a dance squad that was determined to catch everyone's attention with a new dance they had rehearsed in their last parties. Their faces glowed with happiness, radiant and free.

Result? It did. Pete bit their nail with an undecipherable expression when the short blonde girl started to move loosely, surrounded by excited and drunk friends.

_3:24 am_

"I told Luca that he should come back to us." Pete confessed out of the nowhere, smiling towards Chris. "And he did. I dunno why, but he did."

Pete Valley had two refills by then, and shared a cigarette with Aaron. Chris, instead, was starting to feel his head process everything and everyone in a different filter now.

"Listen, after I finish this drink I won't have anymore. I'll just take care of you." Pete promised him. "Okay?" He asked with glittery eyes. Whatever the reason that laid behind Pete's insistency on taking care of Chris, meant a lot to him. The blonde boy found himself nodding with a soft smile.

"It's fine, Pete! Do you think I'm going to be a fucking baby forever, dude?!" He said with a concrete shine glimmering in his eyes. "I don't wanna kill your steeze, man!"

Gwenyth pulled closer, handing over her cigarette to Aaron, who took it in. Then he smiled at the boy with blonde hair and freckles. "You having fun, dude?" She asked.

"Yeah! You guys are so fucking cool! I had definitely judged you wrong before." He confessed to Pete Valley's surprise, who widened their eyes. "I was just fucking pissed that Daniel hadn't contacted me in a long time." He finished with an exaggerated tone, making Gwenyth snort. "But Pete, you're the man!" He yelled. Pete proceeded then to throw an arm around Chris's neck, making them both fall over the couch back, drunk and clumsy.

Their bodies stuck to the other, friendly and brotherly, as they exhaled towards the air. They both let out heavy chuckles and stared with starry eyes at the ceiling, that already had toilet paper stuck on its wall and tomato sauce. Chris called Pete out on this, before they both bursted into an easy laugh.

"Ah, I love you man." The blue eyed boy confessed, high on alcohol and life, finally.

"Me too." Pete grinned with love, his eyes shining in a way they'd never done before. "You're one of the fewest friends that I've ever taken care of like a sibling."

The sun-kissed boy let out a relieved exhale, closing their eyes with eternal satisfaction. "I love your friend Daniel so much."

Pete suddenly started giggling under his breath, gradually, until the boy beside him nudged him. "Then what the fuck are you waiting for? Go and fucking tell him that you want to make an overhand knot with your mouths, for fuck's sake." He started laughing.

Chris blushed wilder, if he even could.

"W-Whatever!" He yelled, nudging him back.

Silence. The music beat blasted out of the speakers and the party roared like an animal, making the blonde boy close his eyes relaxed. It was a dilemma how the loud sounds continued to calm Chris down so successfully.

"So... How did you manage to bring Luca back to the gang?" The sun-kissed boy finally asked, addressing to the matter again.

Pete exhaled, a nostalgic shine glimmering over his eyes now. He calmed down, blinking a few times before responding. "Luca was part of the Penny Badges Football Team. Years ago, though."

Chris widened his eyes, shifting his body and recomposing himself. Then he blinked, trying to focus in middle of his drunkenness. "Really?" Silence. "He was a friend of yours? Well that explains the tense thing in between both of you, back in the field."

"Yuh." Pete replied, ruffling his hair. "I kind of wanted to kick him and hug him at the same time. We would've managed to pull you away from him for the night, but we couldn't entirely."

"He's a brother to you too." Chris finished for him.

"Yeah... A rude motherfucker. Our misbehaved and ungrateful brother." Pete added, a little more serious now. "A familiar tragedy. Then he pulled away from us all, fell in love with Daniel and locked us all away. That's why Harry hates him now. He doesn't even want to talk to him. Can't blame the guy, though."

Silence. Chris nodded, staying in silence to respect his friend. Then he moved his head towards him, centimetres close to his nose. He beamed.

"I'm glad you got him back too. Luca seemed happy to have us around. I can just tell how amused he was teaming up with Daniel." He added.

Pete chuckled close. "That's another one. Daniel can't hate him either, he knows him almost as good as Harry did." He said. "He and Luca were also really good friends, and tried to trust Luca until he, eventually, let you go. I can tell Daniel isn't proud, but doesn't hate him. He just can't believe it could come from him. Neither did any of us. We're so relieved and satisfied that he gave into doing the right thing in the end."

"That seems... Okay. Things will be okay, Pete." Chris told him in a softer tone. When the redhead locked eyes with him, they were pretty close. They both beamed at the same time, looking towards the ceiling right after.

"Thanks, Chrissy." Pete Valley said, tugging on his Niagara Falls pullover's long sleeves before snuggling up against Chris's shoulder, fitting his head in the space between his friends neck and chin.

Then he sighed.

_Daniel watched how Chris enchanted his other best friend from afar, his eyes adopting a mild and softer stare, glowing just for him as he thanked the stars for crossing so perfectly._

_Pete Valley vibing along with his best friend so fine was better than any other Christmas present._

_3:36 am_

Chris suddenly heard a crowd cheer frantically on the other side of the room, where the TV and videogames were displayed, as well as the window with the pool views. He frowned with a confused expression, hearing a concrete cheering crowd and videogame layout that gradually made him smile. _Sing it_.

He took a brave and long sip right next to Pete Valley, gulping the delicious content with a smile. The redhead leant into him, shaking their shoulders softly while they grinned. "You okay, mate? You look really happy suddenly..."

Chris nodded, bright and enlightened. "I am! Excuse me now!" The blonde boy yelled out over the music, carrying the drink himself as he stood up from the couch. The living room had been parted into two sections divided by a wall, all sharing the same entry to the kitchen. Daniel and his friends, as well as their company, were obviously sitting inside their very own private zone, opposite to the part of the living room that had the pool views and the flat screen displaying music videos and _Just Dance_.

Chris tiptoed, making the flannel fly behind him, balancing the drink on his left hand before walking over to Daniel and grabbing his wrist. Then he tugged, with fun.

Daniel burst into a sudden wide smile, his heart leaping with a familiar joyness at the fact that his blonde friend had decided to break the ice at last. _He'd go anywhere as long as they were together._ He'd really started believing it.

"Danny, I have an idea." He said with blushing cheeks and an excited glimmer in his eyes.

Daniel found himself tugged by Chris's hands, who pulled him up from the couch. Then his heart started beating at its own fucking rate, making him slightly breathless as his friend pulled him along to the other side of the room, in direction to the kitchen where they'd take the shortcut towards the place where everyone was starting the singing videogame.

"I love your ideas." He found himself admitting with a messy chuckle.

Chris widened his eyes softly, tugging on Daniel's skin as gently as always. He pulled him along, through the kitchen and into the open living room where someone was singing _No One_ from Alicia Keys on _Sing It._

Daniel slowly let go of his hand, making Chris turn their head confused before wrapping his arms soothingly around the blonde boy's waist, pulling him closer in a breathtaking way. Their hearts leaped suddenly at the feeling of their soft clothes coming together, conforming the only things in between their tense and eager bodies at that moment.

"Way better." He whispered into the blue-eyed boy's ear, finally feeling his body glued to his own like he believed they were meant to be.

Chris, on his behalf, felt his body burn with a hot and blazing sensation at the feeling of Daniel's body clutching to his own, when they both knew that it was just a distracting touch. A sneaky, desirable and lustful touch to avoid the fact that their sexual tension was far more than suffocating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I skipped writing notes until I arrived to this chapter since I'm scared it will become something repetitive after a while. Since I love doing my job and giving you a nice time reading this, let me just thank you eternally for making it to this point if you have. It means so, so, so much to me that you take your time to read my stuff. Time is gold and all of that. 
> 
> I know you love hearing this, but if you really enjoyed this story and want to call me out on it, kudos and comments completely make my day :) My lovely friends try and lift my spirits up by commenting and it means the WORLD to me. So if you, by any means, enjoy my work and would love to make me know, you can make my day by supporting me with either of those two! 
> 
> I wish y'all that you never run low on food, supplies and a room to live in especially in these hard times. Covid is nothing against a united party, and taking medical measures will make doctors happy and up for saving lives :)


	14. Pizza and "fuck you"

The blue-eyed boy proceeded to stare with adoration towards the place where his friend had placed a microphone in front of him, gathering more people around him as he set the equipment up. Becka, Vera, and Harleen were sipping from their drinks on his left as they talked in between excited and compelling mutters, while Chris kept eyeing the brown-haired boy with the purple streak with amusement. He tried to avoid the fact that more than ten people habitated the room, in comparison to the silence where he and Daniel had practiced their singing in, back at the Reynolds when they were younger. He remembered their voices clashing against the other, unable to harmonize together until they had spent years practicing the same song, over and over again with insistency.

_It should be okay then._

"Yenno, guys. I'm actually kind of glad that the fucker's gone. Mia actually had her claws out to fight him back. Imagine that." Gwenyth said with a smirk, leaning against Aaron's arm.

Pete Valley widened his eyes, nodding as he leant back against the comfortable couch. God, _he loved parties_ , for real, but his relationship with Aaron's couch was just as good as receiving a kiss from the prettiest girl of the party. He would wait until his friends got properly drunk and follow their game, instead, to enjoy the night. Which meant... _Right then_.

Mia instead, groaned deliberately. "I wouldn't have let him just get away with it. I was so fucking ready to do something bitchy, to remind him I can be just as bad." She replied, rolling her eyes.

Gwenyth clapped once in her direction, eyeing everyone else with a startled expression. "See? That's what I was talking about!" Aaron proceeded to hold the black-haired girl by the neck, and brought her close to kiss his girlfriend on the cheek.

Soon, a familiar trap song started playing over the speakers, making several people throughout the house cheer frantically, as well as making Chloe, Cecily and Amber squeal. Felicity instead, grabbed Jensen by his wrist and under a dangerous smirk, pulled him up to his feet. Then she tugged at him until they were both a few metres away from the couch, sharing an intimate and hungry stare before they started moving around in a careful way. Soon, Felicity turned her body around and placed his boyfriend's hands around her neck, telling him to grip softly while she calmly twerked against his right leg, making everyone else explode into cheers. The skinny girl with dark blue hair and green eyes stuck her tongue out recklessly, while she practiced her newest moves on her boyfriend's waist, bouncing her butt up and down and sliding against Jensen.

Aaron whistled loudly before clapping, making Gwenyth get up and wink at them all. Half of their friends turned over at the black-haired girl, who was making sure her hair was tied-up before making a show of taking off her jacket. Her legs softly climbed over Aaron's lap, who bit his lower lip dramatically and widened his eyes like a freak. But Gwenyth was having too much fun; she continued to drag everyone's attention to her little teasing game while she grabbed the edge of her short plaid dress carefully, lifting it up quite teasingly before placing a supporting hand over Aaron's shoulder and the other formed a peace sign, her tongue sticking out in a rebellious way while calmly and confidently groping her boyfriend's legs.

Pete Valley already covered his face while laughing, lifting both of his legs over the couch before staring over at Craig, to whom he directed his laughs. If they drunk some more, they were going to end up placing a stack of stairs over the edges of the pool and practice "don't-fall-into-the-pool" in middle of the darn winter.

_Oh well._

Aaron placed a protective hand over Gwenyth's waist, motioning her softly while he slowly lost his decency to keep his hands to himself for his friend's sake. The people around them ended up complaining in a fun way, gradually falling into yells as Gwenyth started to loose the point of it all, concentrating too much in her small task.

"Are we goddamn interrupting?!" Craig yelled over the music, lifting up his beer bottle. A bottle shattering against a wall could be heard in the distance, followed by loud laughs and cheering and clapping.

Felicity and Jensen were already twerking against each other in between intimate moves, ignoring them all like they weren't there, bumping and groping softly in between mutual smiles.

Aaron frowned when he heard the little disaster coming from the kitchen, but failed to concentrate as the feeling of Gwenyth's body moving dangerously close to his lap had him freaking out. Pete Valley was already yelling nonsense over the music, directed towards their friends.

Craig and Luca both shared a mutual laugh as they clutched to each other, making fun of the situation while Harry was left to gulp his beer down alone to their right. Mia Bailey continued to bite her nails softly while she blushed wildly, not ready to take in that much live action yet. Instead, she covered her mouth and leant against Amber, who was watching it all with Chloe and Cecily. The soft redheaded girl turned to the shy girl now, beaming unexpectedly.

"They're such loosened animals, aren't they?" Amber asked with fun, to which Mia nodded without any other option left. "They're just playing, though."

Mia nodded, shrugging as she tried to downplay the situation. She surprised herself having joined those type of people that high school year; honestly, she had expected to hook herself up with shy and intellectual kids, people who shared the same interests as her and wouldn't judge her for not owning trendy clothes or not having had sex, ever. _Yeah, ever._ Now she was at a party, having dealt with enough shit from a guy to not miss any other event again, unexpectedly changed into a black mesh dress and having grasped Pete _Fucking_ Valley's attention. Could someone please come and tell her what role she was playing, again?

" _Oo-ooh, Oo-oo-ooh, ooh, oo-ooh_..." The speakers soon amplified the voice, transmitting the voice that was doing its thing into the microphone to the whole house.

Suddenly Pete stood up dramatically, making everyone else sitting on the couch turn towards him, including Gwenyth and Aaron, who had stopped their teasing game all of a sudden.

He jolted towards the kitchen with a lunatic grin spread over his face, soon followed by everyone else. Harry elevated their look, frowning as he reluctantly stood up from the couch.

"Oo-ooh, Oo-oo-ooh, ooh, oo-ooh..." The speakers voiced again, gathering more and more people. What the fuck? Who had hired musicians now?

Everyone followed Pete Valley into the living room, where the most unimaginable of scenes happened before them. What was this? A musical filming? What was Daniel doing with a microphone stand, vocalizing into it following a rythm, musicality and moves, while staring at the blonde boy across the room like he hadn't seen anything as beautiful before? When Mia arrived tugged by Amber and Chloe, she could distinguish Harleen slumping over the couch close to Chris. _Harleen_ _! She was there, at the party?_ _Both of them had hung out countless times at break time with Cecily._ When they both locked eyes, they beamed at each other.

Pete Valley widened their eyes, blinking them repeatedly as Gwenyth widened her mouth with a wide "O". She couldn't yet bring herself to believe that whatever was developing in front of her eyes was _actually_ going to happen. _This was like a movie!_

Chris Erisken observed the situation with a calm expression, chin over his palm as he comfortably and greedily sat over the edge of the couch, closer to standing up. People kept gathering in the room, breathless and wide-mouthed, witnessing the magical moment that was about the happen while they all shared excited whispers, pointing out at Daniel who leant into the microphone now.

" _What you thinking?"_ Daniel pulled a neutral and attractive face, pushing their hair back seductively towards Chris. " _You think that you could be better off with somebody new?"_ Then he blinked. " _No, oh, oh, baby, no."_ Daniel beamed, glad that he and Chris were on the same page now, coming back after trying a taste of running away with someone else. The lyrics helped him cope with the bitter memory now, happy that he could finally proportionate Chris what he wanted.

Everyone widened their mouths, suddenly turning backwards to slap Luca playfully in between laughs, laughing. Harry wasn't. Others whistled in Chris's direction, who blushed softly before covering their mouth with their hands.

" _You say you're leaving?"_ Daniel closed his eyes, concentrating on his voice like he had many times on _Sing It_ with Chris. He smiled.

Chris gestured in Dana's direction, asking her for a microphone. He asked himself if he was really going to do what he was planning. _Daniel was definitely good at this,_ _could he blend into that?_

" _Well, if you wanna leave, there ain't nobody stopping you_." Daniel smiled into the microphone, locking eyes with Chris as he sung for him. _Would he be any better with someone else?_ He had almost found out, and he hadn't liked the feeling. He had no idea if they would be on the same level together for a long time, but he just wished they could have some time for themselves now that Chris was there. " _No, oh, oh, baby, no_."

Pete, Craig, Luca and Aaron exploded into cheers along with Gwenyth and the girls. Everyone seemed entertained with this new scene, calling their friends over to watch the exclusive scoop of two friends serenading each other with a _Charlie Puth_ song.

" _I won't beg for your love, won't say please..._ " Daniel frowned his eyes as he thought about how he had bawled his eyes out in the field, just five or six hours earlier. He loved it that it was just a memory now; it was crazy how fast stuff changed. " _I won't fall to the ground on my knees... You know I've given this everything_..." Daniel looked profoundly into his best friend's eyes now, into the blue pair of eyes that glowed satisfied in his direction. He looked deliberately happy. That made Daniel beam. " _Baby, honestly... Baby, honestly_..."

Soon the modern and 80's inspired beat filled the room, making Daniel hold onto the microphone stand as he sang the chorus for Chris. He winked at him with a bright smile, catching him hide his hot and red cheeks in a secretive way. He had felt good, able to do something fun with him that didn't have anything to do with breaking rules and hearts. His heart warmed when he remembered how the blue eyed boy and him would spend hours practicing their songs when they were kids, taking it super-seriously and earning approval looks from Laire and Steven.

" _I lied for you, baby, I'd die for you, baby, I've cried for you, baby_..." He sang, tilting his head eagerly as he passionately directed these words towards his love interest. The whole room exploded into cheers, enjoying the sound of his voice telling a half-true story and how good it actually was, surprised that Daniel was even good at singing. " _But tell me what you've done for me... For you, baby, and only you, baby._.."

Chris closed his eyes, biting their lower lip as he tried to suppress the heavy tension in between him and his best friend, trying to just focus on the way Daniel was _fucking_ singing for him as he received the microphone from the girl, thanking her as she pulled away. He tried to ignore the involuntary wish to pull him away from the crowd and into the backyard or Aaron's parent's room, and ask him to do all the things they should've done before. _Fuck_ , drinking made him loose shame.

" _The things I do, baby, but tell me what you've done for me_..." Daniel made his voice vibrate smoothly and nicely, earning claps and cheers from impressed party attendants (in between which stood Pete's friends, even Harry who now seemed amused) before Chris smiled towards the ground one last time. Then he placed the microphone close to his lips, excited to get his turn to stare into Daniel's eyes now and pour his heart out to him without having to use words.

Words that were hard to pronunciate lately.

" _I never cheated_." His high-pitched voice started, contrasting perfectly with the previous voice.

To Chris, it wasn't like they were singing in front of dozens of teenagers; for him, they were actually in comfortable pyjamas, wearing socks and cozy jackets back at the Reynold's place, practicing their vocals in the comfortness and quietness of his home. To him, it was just Daniel hoping that he'd hit the right notes so the videogame would make shining and blinking sounds, congratulating them on their success. The blonde-haired boy was soon starting to feel like he wasn't actually at a party, impressing dozens; he just felt like he was singing and practicing for Daniel, in their comfortable silence and atmosphere, finishing a song before making sandwiches for both.

The room exploded into cheers, shook by both of the friends shared talent.

" _Deleted everyone 'cause they made you uncomfortable, no, oh, oh, baby, no_." His voice perfectly wavered into a stylish singing trick, earning a bunch of claps and whistles. Chris stared into Daniel's undecipherable expression, soon smiling for him as he stood up from the couch, walking slowly and calmly towards the centre of the room. He could just tell Daniel was watching, on how his body felt observed. " _These accusations, I can't apologize for something that I didn't do_ , _no, oh, oh, baby, no_."

He practiced the same trick again, making Pete Valley _stare_ impressedly towards them both like a proud parent, as well as the rest of his friends who nodded and commented quietly. Mia smiled towards this scene, whispering a soft "wow" into Pete's ear.  
The redhead cocked his head in the blonde girl's direction, only to melt into a mutual smile. " _I won't beg for your love, won't say, please_..." Chris continued, hitting the high note that made many of them keep on cheering while they lifted up cups of drinks in the air.

" _Oh no, I won't say, please_..." Daniel added to his crush's verse, harmonizing with him at last. At _fucking_ last. His younger self would've been proud.

Chris smiled too, sharing the same fun and innocence in his eyes for achieving something so important for both of them. " _I won't fall to the ground on my knees_..."

" _On my knees..."_ Daniel added with a smile, singing the chore for him.

" _You know I've given this everything_..." Chris sang, having Daniel's voice "Oh" him in the background, making the blonde boy smile, feeling warm and teamed up with his best friend. " _Baby honestly, baby honestly_..."

They both grinned now, proud of each other as Chris walked towards Daniel, stopping when they both were as close as two sleeping puppies. The blonde boy chuckled in middle of his song, making half of the crowd burst into giggles. He couldn't help the look that his best friend was giving him; he looked so serene and uplifted just because of a darn song. _He loved it._

Then their voices joined into one.

_I lied for you, baby_

_I'd die for you, baby_

_I've cried for you, baby_

_But tell me what you've done for me_

Chris suddenly pulled apart, smirking into the microphone as he sang the lyrics, making Daniel smile. Was the usual happy and careless boy going to play teasing now? He remembered him walking through the hallways, clutching to a binder while placing an earphone into his ears, singing to himself softly. But now that they were there, singing live and loud for a bunch of horny and pumped up teenagers, he was glad that Chris had taken up courage to come out of his shell and just help him give everyone else a good time. _Because he was totally enjoying his, and he'd love to share a piece of that_.

_For you, baby, and only you, baby_

_The things I do, baby_

_But tell me what you've done for me_

Chris sang the lyrics eagerly, making the brown-haired boy stare at him with a mixture of adoration and satisfaction. Pete Valley stared at Daniel with mischeviousness, wondering if now that he had finally managed to pair them together, they'd sort their stuff out. He recalled encountering Chris for the first time in the field; how in this world could've he been able to tell that they were so close? He just knew that he had almost started dating Luca and that their relationship seemed distant. He had no idea about all of the little things that made their relationship the way it was. Now, they were the closest they had ever been to kissing, and his smile grew when Daniel bit his lip publicly. Pete loved how things had turned out for them, and felt things falling back into place at last. If only Chris had been more secure about what he felt... Things would've been easier.

_Oh, tell me what you've done for me_

_Oh, tell me what you've done for me_

_Oh, tell me what you've done for me_

Chris started to walk around the Reynold's couch that he remembered, instead of Aaron's, staring at Daniel with a carefree smile, who walked in the opposite direction. He pretended like they weren't singing for dozens, but practicing with their pyjamas and socks on a rainy day at Daniel's place. They both stared into each other's eyes, wanting to prove to the other how much they had actually done for the other. The song was just sarcastic for them; a parody about all of their hardships, a little laugh or joke to get over the bad stuff. Chris couldn't _wait_ for the whole stupid party to end so that he could finally get his hands on his... Whatever he was now. An upcoming friend with benefits? A flirt? The type of friend that you almost kiss inside a fucking office, while stealing the keys of the gym of your own school?

How could he ask, though? He couldn't even stare into Daniel's eyes properly when he was sober. The only reason why Chris wasn't melting into a ball of awkwardness right then, pouring his heart out for Daniel fucking Diaz, was because he was drunk. The things he was starting to consider doing were ridiculous. Many of them included Daniel involving with him in a physical situation, upgrading him, or whatever. The others involved being a total show-off, climbing over tables and recording drunk videos. He was totally up for anything in that moment.

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

_You know I've given this everything_

_Baby, honestly_

_Tell me what you've done for me_

The boy with freckles and blonde hair kept singing the song, reaching a high note that had everyone clapping and shrieking. Daniel grinned openly, proud of Chris as he sang some background vocals for him. They rocked! They had managed to sing their song, at last. Everything seemed better then, funnier, amazing. He fucking wanted to congratulate Chris and hug him and kiss him and...

_Woah_.

Drinking definitely messed up with his brain. He literally could picture in his mind all of the things he wanted to do with Chris, as soon as they got some time for themselves. He hoped he would be up for it; Daniel was so eager to kiss and hold him in the right way, give into that thunder striking inside their bodies and just make darn love to the guy. His senses were fucked-up, blurry and crazy, and wouldn't focus on anything else until he hadn't got that objective worked out.

Why the _fuck_ hadn't they kissed yet?! Pete was right, he had no fucking idea what took them so long. The awkwardness of not having talked the matter out, maybe? Chris didn't look sure about what to say, that was sure. Maybe he should help him out, place a dammit kiss on his cheek, anything?

_I lied for you, baby_

_I'd die for you, baby_

_I've cried for you, baby_

_But tell me what you've done for me_

People cheered around them, clapping and yelling stuff for them, while Chris made his way around the couch in his direction, past the teenagers that built up the crowd, fun and curious. His blue-eyed friend, who had been shy and quiet for such a long time, was now trying new stuff and proving many people what he was capable of. It only drew Daniel closer to his best friend's traits now. He loved it that Chris had such a rich inner personality, and a big hand to bond with people. His friends, in particular. _He was only euphoric that he had been able to become friends with Pete Valley_. The best fucking gift.

_For you, baby, and only you, baby_

_The things I do, baby_

_But tell me what you've done for me_

_Oh, tell me what you've done for me_

_Oh, tell me what you've done for me_

The whole house exploded into loud and endless cheers, welcoming the ending of the song with enthusiasm. Chris and Daniel were blushing wildly as they bowed towards the public, waving and thanking, too drunk to be shy about the fact that they were so obvious towards each other. _Would the shameless fun leak in now, at last?_

It had been like a fucking movie, all acted out pretty nicely and emotively, carrying people to get an insight of their little world. _And people loved it._

Chris smiled profoundly, staring over at Daniel who now tugged at the end of his striped sleeves, while biting his lip and forming the same expression. The little purple streak over his hair was flipped away by the movement of his head, moving around in his beige jeans and black _Converse_. Chris's heart throbbed and pounded inside his chest now, dying in awkwardness inside. _Gosh._

"We made it." Daniel said, his eyes shining with peace and realization. That had definitely been a victory for both of them. Would their conversation flow easier now that everything had been said? Could the rest be done from then on? Did Chris actually want to carry them out? _Chris's heart's activity already held the answer for him_.

"I... I didn't feel like we won anything at all." Chris commented while he bit his lip, innerly pleading for the guy to reply for him. "It was like being in your house, hopping around with the mic." He chuckled, red to the tip of his head. _Would his body finally act the way he wanted it to, sometime?_

Daniel chuckled openly, ruffling his hair. Then he stared over at Chris, whom he watched melt into shyness. He wanted to help his blonde friend say the things that he knew he wanted to, but didn't know why. He knew that Chris wanted it, whatever it is that he desired. Daniel also wished for it. He just had to find the right words. Now that Luca had politely stepped back, thank _him_ , he had to experiment with some phrases to manage to make Chris speak up. _If he wanted to_.

"Easy, right? Just pretending that we were vibing around in our dressing gowns and slippers." Daniel shrugged, trying to break the ice in the coolest way as possible.

"Yeah, exactly! It was just as simple. Just that now we have fucking dozens of horny teenagers clapping for us." Chris joked, looking aside while grimacing in a shy but friendly way.

Daniel laughed openly, as if he'd said something ridiculously funny. Then he scratched his other elbow while staring down at him with a smile, which Chris immediately corresponded. Then the boy with freckles looked downwards again. _Fuck. If he wanted to say something to avoid looking like a fool, it should be then_.

"I liked it." Chris confessed in a soft voice.

"Me too." Daniel replied right away. Then he cleared his throat. "It was nice. Really."

Chris couldn't help the smile taking over his lips when the brown-haired one tripped over his voice, trying to sound cool. _So fucking cute_. Then he scratched the back of his neck, trying to say something new to keep the conversation alive.

"I... Should we go and get a drink?" Daniel asked first.

_Thanks. Thanks so fucking much_.

"Yeah, fuck. Damn, finally. Of course. I'd love to." Chris replied with an eager voice, finally glad to have achieved what he wanted. Then he realized that he had sounded needy, and cleared his throat again. "I mean, yuh. Whatever?" He tried to correct himself, but ended up laughing at himself instead. Then he covered his face, blushing again. _What a mess of a flirt._

Daniel chuckled, rolling his eyes with fun to avoid feeling shy about the way Chris was loosing it. _So darn adorable_. Should he talk about the kiss now? Maybe not. He didn't want to scare him off after having hold onto his body like that before, and whispering " _way better_ " into his ear. _Why the fuck had he done that?_ He felt like he was going to explode.

Daniel wanted to kiss him _so_ badly. If Chris had confessed that he also wished that Aaron hadn't interrupted then in the office, then... What the fuck were they waiting for? Why was his body acting the contrary to what he wanted to do? He wanted to grab his face gently and lean into him, but he suddenly felt like he couldn't. It was like his hands were blocked, like his mind stopped functioning when it came to Chris. It felt miserably amazing, like he adored something he struggled to reach and at the same time knew he didn't have to fight over it.

"It's okay, Chris. We can do drinks later, when we recover from singing. Or whatever." Daniel offered, scratching his hair softly. "Whenever you want to-"

"I want to." Chris interrupted, fixing his glare into Daniel's. He felt what he was saying for real, and he wanted to make sure that the boy understood it. When their eyes met, Daniel's expression was dreamy and compelling, a beautiful type of deep that Chris personally adored.

That was the reason why he grinned like an idiot, tugging on his flannel's sleeves, not feeling like he adquired some confidence but because he simply didn't want to avert his eyes. He wanted to keep the image of that Daniel in his mind, and rescue it when he'd miss him. The brown-haired one blinked, watching him with another of his undecipherable expressions.

Then he finally understood. _There wouldn't be a perfect moment or a code word, or a green flag._ There were just chances, ones that they'd had endless times since they paired up for the night, and hadn't got the courage to say anything because Chris thought that there should be a "suitable" moment for it.

_Maybe it was the alcohol that Pete Valley had flushed down his throat, but whatever it was that had made him open-minded, worked out for him_.

"Chris, listen, I..." Daniel started talking, embarassment coming out of every pore of his body as he tried to find the words.

Suddenly the blue eyed boy blinked. "You know what, shut up." He spit. That made the Diaz boy elevate their look, curious.

Then Chris took two more steps until he grabbed his best friend's face in between his hands, looking into his brown and startled eyes before placing a soft kiss over his cheek, pulling away fastly and with widened eyes.

_Okay, what the fuck?_

Daniel's breath quickened so fastly that it almost made him laugh. His skin stiffened below him, surprised by that unexpected but gentle action of his. The glimmer in his eyes intensified, scanning his whole face now. _Okay, what the darn fuck. Now speak, dummy_.

"Later, steezy." Chris blurted out the first thing that came into his mind.

Daniel snorted suddenly, placing a hand over his cheek. "Isn't that Pete's thing?"

_Fuck_.

"Whatever. Let me steam off alone, now." He openly confessed. Fuck alcohol. Did the UFO abduct his true personality and gave him a slippery tongue instead?

"My bad. Sorry for copying." Chris stammered, biting his lip.

"You're nervous, right?" Daniel asked in a soft grunting voice. _There went again, that annoyingly but desirable tone_.

"What? Why would I?"

"I dunno. You should know." Daniel shrugged with a smile. "Do you want me to leave you to calm down now?"

Chris nodded like dammit crazy, unable to handle Daniel closer than two feet right then. _Please, just give me a second._

The blonde boy heard him chuckle then, murmuring to himself. "You're so fucking cute." He then watched him pull away softly, winking at him before starting to walk over to Pete Valley, who hit his back with a proud expression over his face, before the rest continued to hit and kick him playfully in between whistles and screams.

Suddenly Chris was being tugged at by some girl, who made him turn around surprised. Mia.

Mia Fucking Bailey.

_Mia Bailey stood before him in her black mesh dress, looking fiery and amazing._ _Wow_. He felt almost flattered to be considered to talk with by such a bright, intelligent and confident girl. Also, he had looked her statistics up in the school record; she was one of the most smart students there! _If only..._ He also observed that Berry and Chloe were joining them, all changed into fantastic and beautiful lace dresses.

"H-Hi, Chris..." Mia started with a friendly smile, placing a blonde strand of hair behind her ear. Then she beamed. "You just looked amazing. Do you sing often with him, like that?" She asked with an amazed shine in her eyes.

Chris bit his lower lip, rolling his eyes until he closed them, a little ashamed still. How the _fuck_ did he end up at a party answering personal questions like that? _Well, for him, those were intimate ones._

He nodded, at last. "Yeah, actually, we do. We used to, specifically. Daniel loved to play _Sing It_ on his old _Switch_ , and I'd often join him. We practiced songs for many, many hours until our throats were sore and our hands tired from carrying that stupid controller." He confessed, recalling those times for himself.

Mia smiled towards the other girls, sharing the same expression before turning towards him. "You guys rocked! It was lovely to hear you vibing there, like that." She wholeheartedly said. "We really enjoyed it, and I think I can speak from everyone else's behalf."

Chris grinned fully now, a pink patch decorating his cheeks as he digested the information. Becoming an entertainer now was something he definitely wouldn't have predicted. He was the studying group kid, not the jokes or the talking one. Also, he sucked at words.

"We really did, Chris. We were wondering for some minutes here..." She said, looked at Harleen, who nodded in her direction. "We would love to ask you if you wanted to join us for a bit. Since you look...kind of tense. Around Daniel, we mean." She finally asked.

The blonde haired boy blinked, scratching his neck with shyness. Should he? To take some time off from Dannyland was maybe exactly what he needed to get things straight in his head. Especially after fucking serenading each other with a cheesy song in front of a whole party. Besides, he didn't believe he could think clearly after walking over to Daniel at the end of the song, watching him struggle to say anything at all. _Way better._ Those were the words he had whispered into his ear earlier, clutching to his body shamelessly and out of nowhere, sending Chris chills through his spine. _Just the cherry on top of it all, because, why not_.

Chris shook those memories away, trying not to get too carried along. Then he directed his stare towards Mia Bailey, who smiled back again while clutching to Harleen and Cecily.

"O-Of course!" Chris replied, grabbing his other arm for comfort. He felt a little overwhelmed by the general admiration, but in a positive way. _He felt ever so thankful_. "Let's go and grab some drinks, or whatever. Because, I can still come over to you for drinks, right? Does Pete approve?"

Suddenly, Mia burst into a laugh. She covered her mouth, while the rest of girls chuckled along with the situation. Was she being shy too, about this whole _boy_ topic?

"I guess he'll get mad at me if I let you drink. I don't think I passed the bodyguard test." She chuckled, with a soft blush covering her cheek.

Chris just rolled his eyes, adjusting his white beanie before replying. "It doesn't matter. I trust you to supervise my drinks." He smiled gratefully. Mia melted at this.

Then she proceeded to grab him by his wrist softly, about to tell him something. Gwenyth came over now, whispering something secret into Mia's ear before pulling away and disappearing with Aaron through the door. _The blonde girl's startled expression was ridiculous_.

"What? What happened?" Harleen asked with a surprised expression.

"Gwenyth and Aaron are going to have some... Well, gosh, nevermind." Mia giggled, placing a finger over her lips. She then closed her eyes, smiling too much. Harleen echoed a greedy " _Fuck, yeah! At least some girl's having action_."

Chris widened his mouth. If he ever pleadingly asked Daniel to abandon a party to go upstairs to have sex together, he'd completely explode. _Like, for real_. He'd never have that confidence.

_Nevertheless, the alcohol made the opposite effect on Chris._

"Yenno." Chris suddenly spoke, confessing against his own will. "These two are doing good. Who's to tell them what they have to do? I should go and grab Daniel, be bold for fucking once. Maybe I should try it for fun: _Hey, Daniel. I'm bored of this party. Let's go upstairs and have sex together_."

Suddenly both girls along with Gwenyth's friends exploded into laughs, grabbing each other like they were going to fall. Suddenly Mia grabbed him by the wrist, asking under everyone else's stare.

"Indeed, and like you said, we were going to grab some drinks and go twerk for a bit on the floor. You join us?" Mia asked him while she readjusted her dress. Chris chuckled.

"Fine. I'll join you, for a while." He finally accepted, earning the girl's gradual cheers.

"Great!" The girl shrieked before pulling him along.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

_4:15 am_

(Travis Scott - **TKN** )

The house continued to blast with teen spirit, even at those late hours. In the distance, lights flashed out of the house and objects kept smashing against the wall if you listened closely. Toilet paper wrapped the porch and there were partiers throwing up in the street already, accompanied by their dates or other drunk friends. The pool was soon starting to be frequented by dressed-up locals who crowded the place. The water was still clean, but the many party attendants kept filling it with pizza slices, condoms and inflatable objects. A girl whose name went by Wendy, was groping the doughnut pool toy with enthusiasm while Danielle and Yuno laughed like hyenas, recording her with clumsiness and flushing cheeks.

Inside, it wasn't any less wild. _TKN_ from Travis Scott blasted out of the speakers while the people kept dancing, clouds of smoke and _god knew what_ forming in the air over everyone's heads. People's bodies at these hours were already loose, dancing with friends and partners like shame never existed.

_If that wasn't enough_ , _Gwenyth_ _and Aaron had already called it a "night"_.

In the living room, Pay and Steven who talked along with their friends, were grabbing Aaron's old _Nerf's_ from the cupboard beneath the stairs, soon walking back to the table and filling them with liquor. Students crowded around them and encouraged them with chanting and screams, while Becka made her way through the crowd before arriving to the table where Pay was maneuvering the toy. The blonde girl with green highlights proceeded to grab the vodka and whiskey bottles and turned back from where she came from, walking over to where Abby had lied down to the floor around excited girls. She then proceeded to kneel down in front of her, winking an eye to the tech girl who now looked stunning in a plaid skirt, high boots and a plaid blazer that rested over her black laced croptop. The blonde and green haired girl made a show of pouring liquor onto the girls chest and waist before leaning into her body, kissing it and sucking the spirit in. Cheers blasted out of everyone's mouths.

Minutes later, Pay and Steven were carrying the _Nerf's_ over their shoulders, clapping some of their friend's hands and patting their shoulders before disappearing up the house's stairs. Soon, Pete Valley, Luca, Craig, Daniel and Jensen, who held Felicity's wrist, came closer to watch the huge scene about to happen in front of them. The redheaded made his way through the crowd, high-fiving classmates and yelling things back to people. Luca soon encountered with Harleen, who gave him a short hug and a congratulating phrase for saving the gym party. Craig, who brushed his hair back with restlessness, soon distinguished Pay and Steven appearing over the first floor's balcony. The two guys received the never-ending roar from the crowd beneath them, soon starting to move their butts along to the song and shaking the toy guns in the air, which earned even crazier cheers.

The chorus of the song started playing, which translated into many people starting to dance against each other, throwing their hands up in the air and kissing with strangers. The exotic beats vibrated through the walls, moving everyone along the same naughty and fun rythm as Pay started licking the _Nerf_ toy from the place he was holding it towards the top, shaking his waist slowly and steezily. _Girls screamed_. Then he gave a signal to Steven, who was acting like his _Nerf_ was a strip pole and groping against it. They both nodded and started laughing like idiots, aiming their gun toys filled with vodka and scotch whiskey towards the partiers, and sent streams of liquor everywhere, moving their fake guns from left to right while the crowd roared louder, opening their mouths to drink the liquor that was being aimed at them.

Pete Valley extended his arms, opening his mouth with euphoria. His face continued to wet with the drink that splashed across it, as well as everyone else's. Daniel laughed, ruffling his humid hair before throwing an arm around Craig, who clutched to him before opening his mouth too. Luca brushed his eyes, wondering if what happening was real, before grimacing and parting their lips too. Jensen and Felicity though, had decided to kiss under the liquor rain with eagerness, stuffing their hands under the other's clothes and using their tongues.

A boy named Mack from drama club with pastel blue hair, started to dance on top of a kitchen counter while his friend Dana recorded it as a _story_. The girls around them bursted into screams as one of them received her first kiss with Blue, who had changed now into plaid jeans, a proper light blue shirt and a little golden neckpiece. His hair had been combed and he had sprayed himself with _Zadic_ _ & Voltaire_, who was now giving a good time to Abby.

The crowd kept cheering and clapping for them, screaming " _Abby and Blue just kissed and they look HOT!!"_ Into the living room, which gathered more public for the scene happening in the kitchen.

Daniel turned towards the phrase echoing across the room, melting into a gasp. _Abby and Blue had kissed? Wow!_ He felt innerly happy for them, knowing he'd come across occasional kissing in the hallways from then on. Talking about kisses: where the heck was Chris now? Had he returned from talking with Mia? _Was he going to take a walk around the house, maybe meet some new faces now that he was loose and happy?_

That was precisely the moment when he saw the concrete figure in the crowd that startled him. His heart started pounding heavily inside as he watched how Harry Gretch stormed across the room, drunk as fuck, carrying the bottle in his hands clumsily as he made his way towards Luca. Daniel widened his eyes involuntarily.

Then the bunch of black curls slapped the smoker boy across the face, the hardest he had ever heard. _Half of the room turned around towards this_.


	15. Paying redemption

  
_Aaron's house_

_4:45 am_

________________________________________

Luca felt his left cheek burn vividly, hit wildly by a drunk, loose and aggressive Harry. His face cocked to the side after the impact, followed by a collective groan from the crowd around them.

Daniel blinked, terrified.

"Just what the _fuck_ do you think you're doing here?!" The boy with the dark curls and lip piercing screamed. He was dead serious and angry, emanating a negative vibe around him. _Jensen braced Felicity with his arms, protectively_.

The redhead one stumbled, searching for Daniel with his eyes, with whom he shared scared expressions.

 _Luca's heart sunk torturously, which had done nothing but beat restless inside his chest for the past three hours_. He had definitely made a mistake by getting involved with Chris earlier. _What had he been fucking thinking._ The bunch of black curls that had rooted for him in a world that seemed so many light years away, back when everything was okay, _back when he hadn't lost her_ , aimed hard, dark and dangerous eyes at him.

Like he was ready to rip him off any minute to shreads. Worse than his usual cold personality. Worse than his angry yelling. _Worse than Carver's scandal earlier._

This was Harry being the _real_ himself when things didn't work out the way he wanted. 

"I said." Harry yelled, the next phrase louder than the other. "What! Are you! Doing here?!" His eyes were hard, venomous, dark.

 _Menacing_.

Suddenly Harry pushed Luca's chest full of impotency, feeling the overwhelming ache inside his heart take over him, as he pushed away the prospect of Luca coming back to his life. For good or bad. His hands gripped on Luca's shirt, forceful.

"Talk, you fucking cunt!!!" He screamed, hopeless.

But nothing came out of Luca's lips as he remained stiff under his ex-best friend's grip of his shirt. He just blinked, hurt, staring at Harry with an undecipherable expression.

 _Nothingness_.

Pete didn't need the further signal, who now dashed over to Harry to try and make them gain their senses back. But the contrary one just screamed towards the smoker boy while he kept threatening them.

Luca gulped, unable to say anything else to the friend he had ghosted years ago. For what? For not much, really. He had just felt close to falling down into a black hole that would've sucked in Harry's happiness. _Only that_.

He blinked.

"Fucking asshole, man!" Harry let him go with an abrupt push, making them stumble back before gripping on their shirt again, harder this time. Luca winced. _Pete frowned_. "Fuck you, man!"

Pete Valley had already dashed over to them, trying to pull them apart by grabbing their shoulders. But Harry freed themselves in a rude way before grabbing Luca's hair and shaking his head swiftly.

"Harry, what the _fuck_ are you doing, dude?" Daniel screamed over the music, worried. He didn't want this. _Not for his friends_.

"You're too soft on him!!!" Harry screamed in his direction, dead angry.

He wasn't. _He cared too much_ , thought Daniel.

"Harry, don't!" Daniel screamed, taking some steps forward into the hall. "You're not like this!"

Luca blinked slowly, and depressed. Part of him wanted to hold Harry and tell them to calm down and talk it out, somehow, and part of him also wanted to punch himself for being such a prick to everyone before. He wanted to do so many things that he thought were too late.

Harry shook them again recklessly, with dark and shiny eyes that soon turned humid. _Was he..?_

Luca blinked again.

"Fucking cunt! That's what you are!" Harry screamed centimetres close to his face. "How _could_ you." He spit disgustedly.

Pete tried to hold him again, while Jensen told him to be classy at Aaron's party. _And that people didn't deserve this_.

"Come on, Harry! Leave it be!" Pete yelled into the black curled one's face, loosing their patience. "He came back."

But Harry slapped them back, unwilling to give into Luca's change. He'd never forgive that black-haired boy that so many tears he had shed for.

"No, he didn't! He never did! He doesn't _belong_ here!" He insisted, blind with rage. Then he turned towards Luca and tensed up. "Grab your ass and leave, motherfucker!" He yelled like crazy.

Chris Eriksen stepped into the room now, with the same surprised look as them all before Daniel hurried over to them and grabbed their wrist softly. Then he turned towards his confronted friends and blinked sadly. _Not now_.

He knew Harry had fought to get over that wound, but he had no idea he'd be _that_ revengeful. Not like that.

Luca bit their lip nervously, searching for the curly boy's eyes while he tried to think of something he could possibly say to him after all the years he hadn't spoken a word. What could he say, anyways?

"Harry..." He voiced, desperately. "..."

For some reason that riled Harry up even more, making him shift angrily.

"What? What?! What the fuck do you want from me now?!" He repeated frenetically, their eyes soon starting to water.

 _He's loosing it_ , thought Daniel. Chris shifted beside him, unaware of the situation that was unfolding before him and proceeding to cover their mouth softly. That made the brown-haired one place himself in front of him, protectively, while he thought about a possible solution for wrecked Harry.

Luca stared at the black curled's watery eyes and the despairing shimmer in them, stabbing him more than his hurtful words. His heart soon beated out of rate, fighting to keep his cool while Harry broke in front of him.

"How _dare_ you, Luca Falls! How could you betray us, your friends?! Your fucking friends, dude?! You have no shame!" He kept on yelling like a maniac, while Luca's face started to loose confidence too.

He gasped for breath, wrecked, while Harry kept on saying those hurtful things to him. The bunch of black curls kept on grasping on his shirt, shaking them while throwing dirt all over his name and breaking completely.

"How could you do this to me?!" He confessed, crying his eyes out. He pushed him once again. "How could you fucking hurt me like that?!" Harry screamed towards Luca, wanting to hurt him back. Make him feel what he had felt. Make him guilty, somehow.

But Luca was also at the verge of tearing apart, unable to respond to that as he blinked his blurred vision away. Soon, he was letting tears roll down his cheeks in a quiet cry next to a defeated, angry but broken Harry.

 _A Harry who now pulled away from him to cover his wet cheeks and desperate expression_.

That hurt Luca the most.

Daniel held his breath, as well as a shocked Pete and petrified party attendants who soon started to crowd around the weeping couple. Chris breathed quite quickly while holding onto the brown-haired one markedly, unable to add anything else to that scandal.

 _It had all been said there and then_.

The black-haired one stared down at Harry with an undecipherable expression, their heart beating the hell out of their chest in fear. Fear that he'd shatter in pieces before him, that everything would be over with no return. That anything he could possibly do or even think of wouldn't work for them. He panicked, but did his best to stare down at the boy he had once cherished like no other, with a calm expression.

"Do you want me to leave, Harry?" He just asked softly. _That was the only thing he could manage to say without having guilt eating off at him_. "I will if you want. The party's _yours_ , not mine."

Silence. Harry just kept covering his face, resisting the urge to throw his pride away and finally unfold whatever he fucking felt. _It was impossible, though_. He couldn't do that.

Too many fucking wounds to get over.

Pete blinked, holding his breath as Jensen slowly let Felicity off his grip. Chris stared over at them, a warm feeling about to pool his heart as he watched a fond expression spread over Luca's face, one that he had never seen on him before. _Not even with Daniel_.

" _Yes_." He mumbled, inaudible.

Luca closed his eyes, nodding softly as they stepped back. _Good job, Luca. Not only he had made them loose their shit, but he was also causing trouble_. They soon turned towards their backpack, which he calmly picked up under his friend's surprised but mournful looks. He grimaced in their direction, thankful that they had given him a chance at least.

 _This wasn't their place, anyways_.

He was better off thinking about the things he had done to the people he loved in the security of his room, where he could get baked and drown himself in defeat alone. _Like he had always had_ , just that a little more miserable this time. Without friends.

And without Harry.

He deserved so fucking more. Harry was a good person, he knew exactly what to do to cheer up people's day's and wasn't fair for him to be turned down by his shitty personality. He'd got a lot of chances to reconsider and return to the Penny Badges Football Team, and yet he had decided to step back.

_Happy fucking desert, loner._

With that mindset he threw the backpack strap over his shoulder, and stepped back towards the door. He knew he had to do this fast before he made any further fools out of himself, or worse, try and work things out.

Pete blinked sadly in his direction, feeling the same wide and grey void take over his friend group like it had, back when Luca had indirectly filled their heads with shit the first time he left.

So he just placed his hand on the handle to get the fuck out of the place, which stung of old memories, honey waffles and _Guitar Hero_. Along with the bygone and innocent feeling that everything would be okay in the end.

And with many things yet to tell his friends and the bunch of black curls, he turned the door handle to avoid having to look back and realize they had just committed the worst mistake of all. That would be too shameful.

"Wait, you idiot." Harry's voice was wobbly and unstable.

 _Silence_.

Luca looked up with a startled expression, his previous actions in his list suddenly loosing all their meaning. His heart stopped when he heard those words, replaying them in his mind a couple of times just to make sure he had actually said them.

"If you leave now, don't even think about coming back." Harry spit, full of emotions. "Don't you even fucking dare break my heart twice."

Luca's hand remained stiff over the doorknob, his heart starting to function again as he digested the "chance" that he had been given by his... Friend? Ex-friend? Ghosted _bff_ _?_

His head suddenly turned towards him, his eyes glowing with a mixture of realization and deep submission for him. He'd asked for him to do _what_? Luca wasn't the type to bend down for anyone, and less someone who troubled his heart before. But not Harry.

Harry was different.

Luca stared at him with an undecipherable expression, searching his eyes for the first time. When he did, the bunch of black curls and greyish eyes were staring back at him with this consciousness and depth that almost made him ashamed of himself, as if they knew every tiny secret there were to know about him. And heck, they knew him well. Enough to make him walk over to where they had stood earlier. Enough to lure him back to his side, like he had unconsciously wanted since all of those months ago.

Enough to make him stop before him and keep silent, feeling his heart beating and alive, inside his chest. "I won't." He breathed, daring to walk up closely to his cold and harsh-spirited friend and push their buttons. Every single one until the right one beeped.

Luca's hand came close to his face, making the young Gretch boy smack his palm off with another hard slap, aiming harsh eyes at him as a warning signal. Luca mantained their brave and intense, emotional and packed stares as he tried to add something else.

"I..." Luca started.

But then Harry was gone, avoiding hearing the rest of the sentence, before sliding past Pete Valley and blending into the crowd and out of sight.

Silence.

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

Luca shifted, placing both of his hands over his face, trying to calm himself down when he had been so close to being a total clown, a total looser who had nothing left other than booze and stash in his drawers. He brushed his face with his hands, and then lifted them up against his hair, which he gripped before letting them fall to his either sides, yet unable to believe what had just happened.

_Could Harry get a grip on what they wanted at last?_

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

_5:15 am_

The blonde haired one had separated from Daniel with sparks in his eyes, still unable to get over the prospect of kissing him on the cheek like he had before clearing his throat. "A-Are you okay?" Had asked Daniel with a sweet voice.

Chris gulped, his cheeks still domained by the bright red colour on them.

"Yeah, I just came over to see what had happened. I had no idea that Luca and Harry had something going on... They looked pretty intense." He mumbled softly. His heart beated a bit faster, not wanting his stupid brain to replay the part when he had pulled away from his cheek constantly.

Daniel chuckled at that. "Well, they were. Harry had been thinking about him ever since he joined us. It's good that he finally opened up, even though he was kinda explosive." He added, stuffing his hands in his pockets comfortably. Then he turned around his heels before asking. "Did you recover already..?" He asked carefully, referring to their innocent kiss.

 _Oh no,_ thought Chris. Not a fucking chance; they were as tense as always. 

"W-What, no, w-whatever..." He stuttered, a restless feeling spreading in his heart as he bit his lip. "Just let me finish talking to Mia. I was having fun with a thing she was telling me-"

"Chris." He chuckled.

The blue-eyed boy blinked, gulping fast.

"What?"

"It's okay. We don't need to talk about it today. We can talk about it tomorrow, next week or whenever." He added, trying to keep his tone calm even though he was drunk as fuck. Wasn't everyone else, though? "Still, I'm trying very hard to stop myself, Chris. I'd do anything to you right now."

Chris darted their eyes open. _No. Please don't say that. I'm so fucking nervous I could die_. They gulped, feeling their skin burn. Did he really desire by any chance..?

"Y-Yeah? Is that so?" He asked, even though he damn well knew the answer. Asking questions about their sexual tension was a stupid choice at that point.   
Right then any distance was by far too much for them. Too much burden to bare. How the hell had they gotten themselves into that situation?

He felt like touching the sky. He felt wanted, and beautiful, and incredible. But he also felt scared. Not that the alcohol wasn't doing a great job by hiding it.

"Chris, if you keep asking me those questions I'm going to have to kiss you." Daniel confessed, brave.

Kiss you. _Oh darn_.

The blonde boy gulped again, feeling the fire burning inside his body as he shut his eyes, trying to chase away those physical desires away. He didn't want to just crave for his friend's body like a piece of meat, or a sandwich he wanted to lick before anyone else did it. Chris wanted for it to be meaningful. He wished to establish some kind of intimate situation with his dorky and fun neighbour best friend, sometime. He really did. That was exactly why he wanted to wait for the right moment and not commit mistakes with him.

He wanted Daniel to be someone to remember. _So he couldn't fucking do that if he was shaking the idea of making out with him in front of his eyes while he was precisely stopping his animal instincts from making decisions for him._

"Daniel, s-stop saying that." He stammered, the euphoria leaking into his heart and brain as they stanned the idea of being alone in his house on Christmas morning.

 _Being able to do whatever the fuck they wanted. On their own. With the door closed_.

Chris bit his lip as his friend spoke. "Saying what? That I'm dying to kiss you right now?" He chuckled. "That I've been trying to tell you I had feelings for you since we entered high school?"

Chris elevated their eyes fast at this. They locked with his friend's, who had the fucking shame to be upfront with them about _kissing_ when he wasn't even ready to accept the idea without going crazy. Daniel had feelings for him, oh my god.

 _So did he_. He blinked with an undecipherable expression, feeling so great all of the sudden, so free, so happy that they almost felt drugged. Was it the cup that Pete had given him? The goddamn confession his friend was making him? The idea of having cried over a friend for years who actually had the same type of feelings towards him?

His lips slightly parted, incredulous.

"Danny... I... I don't know what to say." He said with the only voice he had left. _Could someone come and pull them away from him, since he couldn't on his own_.

Daniel just chuckled breathless.

Silence.

"Chris. I know you already know this, and that it's stupid to say this given the circumstances, but I really, really like you a lot." He said, keeping on pushing his friend emotionally. "And you _do_ know what that implies, right?"

The blonde-haired boy covered their face, embarassed as hell. That was what he precisely had wanted to avoid. He didn't want to do closure there, at a party. Not while they were drunk like Ibiza's boat owners on July nights. Not like that. He didn't want it to be like that. He wanted to be in Daniel's room, or his own. At their living room alone. At the sports daytrip they were taking next month while everyone else would be goofing around.

But definitely not like that. _He panicked_. He realized that if he wanted to say something about the matter to avoid making Daniel feel rejected, it had to be then. No more waiting. _At least for now_.

"Daniel, I don't want to do this here." He confessed, staring into his bewildered and passionate eyes with courage, back when he had confessed to him in the gym. _When he was sober, of course_. "I'll regret it if we do this in between sweaty and horny teenagers." He blurted out, fast.

Daniel nodded, his eyes shining with eternal adoration and bewitch for the blonde angel standing before him. He was going to fall in love with him for real if they stood in that intimate level for much, solving their problems together and sticking together as the awesome team they had always been. _Would having sex make it at least ten times better than it already was?_

"Chris, it's okay. I wasn't going to pin you against a wall in front of everyone." He snorted, his eyes shining with affection towards his friend. _Even though he died to do so_. "We can talk this out at home, okay?"

 _Home_. What a beautiful word it was when it came out of Daniel's lips. Deep in his heart, he wanted to join him for the rest of the night, dance slowly, talk, vibe and go home together. Drag their drunk asses and walk themselves out of Aaron's house clutching to the contrary. _Go "home", to the place everything was meant to be okay_. The blue-eyed one blinked, finally happy with the outcome of their conversation before nodding.

"Okay, Danny." He replied, hovering their head down with sheepishness. "I appreciate that. Wish I had the confidence to sort it all out right now. I mean, I'm a little drunk, but not enough. Also, it's been almost an hour since I did so." He told him with a soft tone. "I..."

"Chris. Calm down, it's okay." He said, coming closer to him before grabbing his hands softly, their noses about to brush against each other. "I'm not going to be deceived or mad or angry or anything, I don't want to kiss you unless you don't want to. Am I clear?" He said, staring into his eyes before brushing a fingertip across his chin. "You're going to be the first one to ask me to."

Chris nodded, staring over at them while his cheeks were cupped by Daniel's soft and caring hands. _It was completely perfect_. He made him feel breathless, alive and respected in a dozen different ways. His hands crept up his chest, curious, finally joining when they surrounded his neck.

Chris wanted to kiss him _so_ badly as soon as he got the chance, away from people's curious eyes, chanting, clapping and cheers. Daniel, on his hand, wanted to arrive home early to tuck into bed with him and let their bodies do all the thinking. Making out or more, it would be up to them.

 _They just wanted to go home with the other already like nothing they'd ever wished for before_.

In the meanwhile Mia, Berry and Liz were having drinks at the table after having watching amused how the smoker and the curly haired guy acted out their angst episode in middle of the party. They were talking about how Chloe was having the time of her life with Jordan, her date, dancing with him a few metres away from them while they discussed class gossip.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

Luca was having a beer alone, leaning against the back of the couch in direction to the nightime views offered by the picture windows. The scarce morning lights shimmered slowly, blinking and moving from place to place in Creek town. Things almost seemed easy from up there. As if decisions weren't hard to make and everything was possible, the lives of the gleaming dots representing minds of their own. It was almost as if life went by in slow motion, taking its time to savour every moment and make things right.

Students walked from opposite sides with cups in hand, clutching onto each other with brotherhood as they kept their drunkenness at bay to make the best out of the party left.

"Yo, Falls." Daniel saluted him with a wrecked smile, handing out a beer to him before joining him.

The smoker boy turned in their direction swiftly before smiling, accepting the can of beer with a soft ' _thanks_ '. Then the brown-haired one proceeded to lean against the back of the couch with him, staring over at the window tiredly.

"It's been a heck of a night." He admitted with a surprised expression, while Luca smiled croakedly. "Don't you think?"

"Especially for me, yes." Luca joked a little sarcastically.

Daniel chuckled. "Probably. Harry grounded you quite a while there." He commented, taking a sip of his beer while staring out to the dark sky that would sooner or later brighten up. _In one or two hours more_.

Luca nodded, convincedly. Then they stared over at where the boy with the black curls was chilling out with Aaron and Pete Valley, and winced softly. "Harry wasn't entirely mad." He said, emotionless. "I have this strange feeling about it."

Daniel stared down at his can remembering the depression Harry had gone through, when he had most needed the smoker boy that ditched him. "He gave you one of the most valuable things someone can give to another person."

"A long-time friendship?" Luca furrowed his eyebrows, unable to remind vividly the last time that he and Harry had hung out together as friends.

"A second chance." Daniel insisted, taking another sip before looking further away from the window. "He gave you the headstart that he'll invest time and energy in you. That he still believes in you."

"I know." He mumbled.

"Luca, buckle up." He said with a harder tone. "Harry went crazy before. I've never seen him like that."

The smoker boy nodded, closing his eyes softly. "Yeah, man, I know. I owe Harry big time." Then he fiddled with his lighter that he found inside his pockets turning it on and off, repeatedly, in silence. 

"You _do_ , Luca. That kid cried over you when you left, but he'll never admit it." Daniel pointed out with a more serious tone, looking over at the boy with black curls who now drank their worries away with a bottle of vodka. Then he turned back at Luca. "Make sure to let him know that you want to make it work too. Try and help each other, since you're friends."

The contrary nodded with their head, agreeing to his cause.

"I know. I want to make him know, sooner or later. When he doesn't snap at me or hurl anymore." The black-haired one replied shortly before exhaling heavily. "And you know I'm really, terribly sorry about the whole Chris thing, Dan." He added, hurt.

_Silence._

Daniel elevated their looks towards the ceiling, gathering all of the patience he had learned from life to find the right words to reply to what had once been a reason to smile. A friend that had unlikely benefitted from him before. Luca hadn't been just a friend in his life. He had been one of _those_ friends.

"Luca... Honestly." Dan started, exhaling deeply. _This wasn't the smoker boy that had gripped on Chris to take him home_. Shame kept spreading over Luca's face as he thought about how to continue. "Listen... There's no reason dwelling about this now. You bullshitted me and my best friend, did some wrong and then you said what you thought was best to settle the dust down. You did what you had to do and gave people some space. What else do you want to do for me now, Luce?" He asked with a bold determination that could've had the power to knock him off his place. _But not anymore_.

"I know, I just..." Luca said, downplaying the issue. "For a moment I had thought things were different."

"But they weren't." He replied with a worried tone, turning their body in his direction and leaning against the couch. "And you did the right thing in the end. It took you a while, but you know that's just the thing you would've done, anyways. Do you really think I don't know you better than all this? Don't beat yourself up over a mistake, and less now that Harry needs you." He said, meaning every word that he pronounced. If he'd known earlier that Luca would've behaved like this, he would've stood up from that bench (back from when they had ended the game) and walked over to him to invite him to the party. He was being a total resentful and miserable loner. "Please, stop the misery, okay?"

 _He_ _could've had it all with the Penny team_.

Silence.

Luca nodded, keeping silent as he stared over towards the landscape braced by the window. He then bit his lip as the seconds went by, thinking about how to start the topic that urged to be talked about, sooner or later. As well, it was something that would start to gather doubts and questions from everyone and it was good to have it sorted out for good, at least in between themselves.

"Daniel..." He started, Luca's heart starting to beat faster at the memory of the amazing series of events that had occurred in their lives since quite a while now. "About your... Thing..."

The brown-haired boy with the purple streak elevated their sight towards the green-eyed boy, with whom he had lived many experiences with. He had been part of his football team. He had been his first kiss. They'd grown up together the same way they had with Pete Valley and the others, into teenagerhood where they were standing in that moment.

 _And many more moments to go through_. 

"...My thing?" He asked confused, while taking another sip. "What do you mean?"

Luca darted their eyes to their side where Liz, Berry, Mia and Chris were dancing with Harleen ignorantly, clicking their tongue after making sure everyone else was pretty busy.

"I mean, the shit you do with your hands." He said in a lower voice, coming closer to avoid eavesdroppers nosing into their business. "That... Thing that you don't want to get busted about."

_Oh,_ _just the right timing._

_That_.

Daniel recomposed themselves, huffing exasperatedly away from Luca's face. They proceeded to cross their arms then, thinking about a possible way to summarize the restless sensation eating away at his chest ever since he realized he had an unexplainable telekinesis skills, knowing well that he had had years to get used to the idea.

 _While god knows how much time the smoker boy had_.

"Luca..." He started, unable to follow as he covered their mouth with their hand. "Listen, dude, you can't speak to anyone about this. It's fucking... Fucking crazy, man. It's bullshit." He said with a hard tone. "I'm serious man, I don't want to compromise myself into a situation that I can't explain. This thing... I've had it since some time now. Please, don't ask me how, since I don't know for shit how I'm capable of doing this." He kept saying, feeling tired. Then he stared into Luca's curious but worried green eyes. "It's... It's weird, dude." He spit at last.

Luca nodded, exhaling. "It's okay, dude. I won't ask questions about it." He then put his lighter back, done with fiddling with objects to focus completely on Dan. "Don't take it personally. I'm just... I've never seen something like that before. It's only normal that I have questions to answer." He continued, looking over at the brown-haired boy. "But as I can see, you're just as confused. I never wanted to push you over the edge, man. I'm not fucking paparazzi."

Daniel nodded, uncrossing his arms at last. "I know, I wasn't trying to point you out."

Silence.

"But... How many stuff can you do? Just curious, I don't mean to be nosy." Luca asked, looking over at them.

Daniel grimaced, staring towards the dark sky that shined with stars above the cup of the trees. Then he looked at his friend, to whom he answered thoughtful. "I... Well, it's complicated. I have this weird thing where my hand kind of elevates objects up, like if I focus enough. It started when I accidentally attracted a Twix bar to my hands when I was ten. I just stare at something, I close my eyes and concentrate... And suddenly, it happens." He explained in the best way possible so that the black-haired one wouldn't make further questions. "I don't know how to explain it correctly, but apart from it my hand kind of... Yenno, sends small... waves around and shit. Science fiction material and stuff. Weird, right? Earlier today I had to lock myself up in the bathroom because it was acting on its own. Though, this one's weak and I can't control it completely. Can't really use it, yenno." He said with incredulity towards the events that made his life so confusing.

"I get it. Well, it's a whole lot to take in, and it's not like you have much help in your disposition." Luca said comprehensively. "I can understand that, actually."

"You're not weirded out by me?" Daniel asked, frowning. "Nor any of my crazy explanations?!"

Luca chuckled, placing the beanie over his head. Then he crossed his arms and looked over at the brown-haired one with tenderness. "I could _never_ be weirded out by you, Dan. We're friends."

Silence.

Daniel nodded. He stared at him with confusion, but not towards him, but towards it all. The green-eyed's eyes held care and friendliness, ready to take in anything to comfort him later. _That was the true Luca_ , Daniel had realized with a soothing heart.

It was amazing how fast things changed.

"Thanks, Luca. It doesn't make shit any less confusing, but I'm glad that you don't feel like my story was police material." He nodded, with satisfaction. "I appreciate that."

Luca grimaced with calm, nodding, before staring over at a concrete point of the noisy crowd. His harsh and cold eyes were indistinguishable, as well as his dark curls and poker face. His stiff body and reserved attitude that screamed a richer inner world grasped both their attention's, making the black haired one gulp.

 _Harry_.

Daniel smirked blatantly, taking the can to his lips for the fifth time as he eyed a startled Luca beside him. Then he exhaled calmly, ending their conversation as politely as possible.

"Well, Luce. I have friends of my own to content now, as you can see." He started saying with a smile. Then he turned towards them with shining eyes. "Will you please drop the crap from Monday on, and bring back old Luca? Please?"

Luca blinked, smiling with an undecipherable expression. Then they stirred the content of their can in circles, grimacing with the same state of mind. The guy then stared over at his old friend before stepping away from the couch, lifting his can up in Daniel's direction.

"Cheers for ya, dude. Nice game tonight." He nodded.

"I'm serious. This is the first and last fucking time that you do this to me. I'll never let this slip again. Ever." He started saying with a serious tone, coming closer to his body. Luca stiffened. "Please come back and stop hurting people. I won't be nice to you next time." They said, batting their eyes hurt.

Luca nodded, without adding any further words.

"Goodnight, Luce. It was nice that... You came around." He added one last time. The green eyed boy stared back with a dreamy expression before smiling.

"Goodnight, Dan. I'll make sure and catch up with the rest of the guys." They added with a crooked smile.

Daniel nodded, finally proud, before turning over their heels.

•°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°. •°

Mia was leaning softly against Liz while they both watched how the blonde haired boy danced vividly with Berry. The boy was strangely happy, like he had just witnessed something incredible. His cheeks were pink, his eyes bright, and his overall vibe only lured people even more to him, earning fist-bumps and handshakes. It only lured Mia even more to him; could they become friends, at some point, when they encountered again in January? He seemed a nice kid that didn't have many issues with people, and Mia found herself liking a friend like that. They both hadn't talked much, but considering how the night had developed, she hoped that Chris would wave hands with her on the hallways from then on.

 _Chloe was long gone with her date for the night_.

"He's drunk." She said, blinking as she took a sip from the half juice-cocktail she had left.

"Totally." Liz smiled. "Pete did a good job by not leaving him unconscious. I can tell Chris and you are the only newbies here."

Suddenly Mia nudged her softly. "Hey! I've watched out for his cup, too! I haven't drunken much." She said, while sipping again from her red cup.

"Don't worry, G-6, I'm sure you'll fly him home if he looses his shit." Liz giggled her answer.

Mia rolled her eyes with fun, a soft red patch covering her cheeks while she remembered the events with Chris's first booze cup. "More like, the G-6 is going to land for the night and not take in _any_ passengers."

Liz groaned. "Naw, boring."

The blonde girl shrugged. "It's okay for the first party. Big starter packs aren't my thing."

"Okay, you big baby." Liz nudged her back. Then she chuckled softly, before yawning a bit. "We won't take long before we crash for the night, either. I hope you had fun all of the way." She said with shining eyes.

Mia blinked, making a recall of all the events that had occurred since she woke up from bed the day before. School. The braids. The hair treatment. The strange animal sound at the match. The gym mission. Pete. The fight with Carven. Chris and Daniel. The party. Pete. Chris's and Daniel's singing. And Pete.

Wait, what?

"Are you kidding? This party was the first and best I've ever been to. Yenno, I guess I just got really fortunate on my starter one. Begginer's luck." She said.

Liz grinned, chuckling softly. "I could tell. You got pretty comfortable mocking Pete."

 _Pete_.

"What? No." She denied fastly. "I guess we were just joking. I'm terrible at talking to people, trust me."

"That's not what I consider the Penny team thinks." Liz smirked, staring at Berry. "People were pretty amused with your... Transformation."

"It was just a dress. That's not the real me." She shrugged.

"No, not the dress. We meant you, as in, your personality transformation. You were absolutely fantastic." Liz commented with a smile. "Gwenyth was obsessed with you, he, he."

Mia rolled her eyes while she grinned. "She was just being nice to me."

"So were you. And people like that from you."

The blonde girl with the shoulder-length hair blinked with an undecipherable expression. Her heart beated in a calm way, letting her know she could breathe out at last.

"People... People like me here?"

But Liz just laughed, sipping on her drink. "Everyone, Mia, likes you here." She said, before observing how her friend's eyes lit up in an adorable way.

_They...They did?_

A few seconds later, Liz let her smile drop slowly, that melt into a frowning expression as the seconds went by. Mia exhaled, tired.

Silence.

The blonde girl stared in her direction, nodding before stopping herself from adding anything else. She then stared at how Chris was doing a proud dance while sticking to Berry, whom earned a collective clap from the crowd, silent.

"Mia, I'm _awfully_ sorry that those guys picked on you." Liz apologised, visibly hurt. She had wanted to avoid the matter to stop the party from being a hassle for her friend, _but it was just inevitable not to think about the way her friend must've panicked after those guys did what they did_...

"I'm sorry I left you to go down alone." She replied in a soft voice.

"No. No way." Liz said quickly. "You shouldn't be afraid to go to explore on your own."

Mia grimaced. She had tried her best to stay in a whole piece for the rest of the night, unable to at times. The guys had done a fantastic job while sticking close, making her feel comfortable and accepted by those around her. Nevertheless, when they kept sitting down, the sensation that someone could bullshit her when she was alone filled her heart with impotency.

Liz softened her look, which observed her newest friend staring at the ground with a thoughtful expression. How could the world be so mean? She was just a girl that wanted to go out and have fun, it wasn't fair that the first time she went out she'd have to encounter something like that. Besides, Liz had promised her it would be fun. _Was that the definition of fun, precisely?_

Berry and Chloe had been the sweetest. They'd started conversation with her, went out for drinks for everyone, sang songs with her... And still, Mia seemed like out of place at times. Maybe the G-6 thing was just her way of telling herself that she could still stand up, and not a clumsy flirtatious comment for Pete. Even though the redhead had been impressed and the classmates around them called her out on her amazing outfit, the girl had been seen struggling with keeping up with the general vibe. _Sometimes_.

It wasn't damn fair.

"...I guess." Mia mumbled.

"I'm serious, Mia. You shouldn't be scared to go out on your own." Liz said, more serious now. "The way you stood up for yourself earlier was incredible."

Maybe it was Pete's encouragement and the thrill of feeling everyone's warm hands helping her out.

_Pete's?_

"Yeah, well." The girl answered, shrugging softly. "I mean, I don't want to be stepped on like an insect. Makes me sick."

"See? That's what I'm talking about. You're amazing." She said.

"What's amazing about wanting the best for yourself?"

"That you give off that vibe, honey." She sipped one last time from her cocktail, finishing it before the straw started making slurping sounds. "People are miserable and sick, so good vibes are always welcome at parties."

The blonde girl blinked, slowly melting into realisation.

"Mia, Pete was _staring_ at you."

She shrugged in reply. "Yeah, right."

Liz rolled her eyes, bumping her shoulder softly. "Like with those shining eyes, you know?"

Mia denied with their head, reminding the words that the redhead boy had whispered into her ear. " _Next time just ask me out for a drink_ ", when Chris called her out jokingly for not supervising his cup. It was a joke, right? Sometimes people said things that they really didn't mean to.

A joke.

"Well, that was because he was drunk. And happy." Mia said, checking out her nails ignorantly.

"That was because you were amazing." Liz snorted.

"No way."

"Yeah way!"

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a boy that calmly slumped over the couch next to Liz, causing her to wide her eyes lunatically. She covered her lower lip with her superior one, mutedly, while Jensen joined them three from the couch on the other side.

Liz was the first one to share glances with the newcomer, gradually snorting in soft laughter with him. The contrary bit his tongue in a fun way, before indistinctly looking over at Mia, who was busy flustering embarassed and hugging her black mesh dress.

"Yo, Pete, you takin' Aaron's wheels home tonight?" He was talking about Aaron's old _Vespa_ that he had owned for a while, before getting a new motorcycle for his birthday last Halloween. He sometimes let his friends ride home with it when they lost the bus home.

"I might." The redhead answered, pushing his hair back with a soft smile. _They were blushing_ , Liz thought. "Haven't drunk much tonight and it's been a while since I had my last cup."

"Okay, let Aaron know. Last time his longboard went missing he ranted in the groupchat for hours." Jensen said while winking an eye at Liz.

Liz smiled back, her arms crossed while blushing at the Mia situation. Jensen didn't know what was going on, but he'd eventually find out sooner or later. The brown-haired girl then looked over at Pete, who were playing with their hair.

"Did you like Chris in the end, Pete?"

Suddenly Pete's eyes lightened up, who melted into a wide smile. Jensen bit his lip, while Mia turned around to face them sheepishly.

"He's the fucking party man, guys. I don't believe his wallflower bullshit." Pete said with fun, placing a bubblegum pill in his mouth. Liz stole one of the green-looking candy from the redhead's bubblegum packet, and chew on it too. "I want to trick him into the Penny Badges Football Team."

Chris playing football?

Mia stared over at the blonde boy who was throwing an arm around Berry, while Harry and Aaron joined them with their vodka bottles. The four of them proceeded to dance together, elevating the bottle of liquor up in the air like it was _Simba_.

Mia elevated an eyebrow, trying to imagine the situation. _Hmph. Maybe_.

"Daniel would loose his shit."

"Haven't told him yet." Pete said with a fond smile. "It'll be a New Year's Eve surprise." He tugged on his long sleeves, hugging himself and curling in the sofa.

"Santa Valley in the house." Jensen smiled, winking an eye towards Pete. "Can I add something to your list?"

The redhead grinned with satisfaction. "Sure, dude."

"That everyone in our group is as cool and handsome as our great Pete Valley." He said, kissing his hand before blowing it fakely in his friend's direction. The redhead boy blushed, smiling. "Don't chicken out, man, you rock. Everyone damn loves you."

Pete grimaced with fun. "Thanks, dude." He then kicked his own chest with his fist, brotherly. Nevertheless, he was already smirking, proud that he had been praised in front of the shy blonde girl.

"Merry Christmas, y'all. To the woman I love, and the friends who reunited here altogether. You guys are my only damn reason to drag my ass to school everyday." Jensen calmly said, kissing them all from afar. His average complexity but strong appearance didn't trick Mia; he had officially become one of Liz's sweet friends.

The group exploded in collective endearment, smiling towards Jensen. Mia smiled croakedly, happy that Liz went out with such a sweet boy. He was so lovely!

"But... Remember that your so-called Pete Valley was made up of his different awesome and great friends. Nowhere to go without you guys." Pete said in his soothing voice, looking over at Jensen.

"The closet's making some noise again." Jensen giggled, making Liz roll her eyes. "Craig was darn right..." _Mia blushed at this_. 

Pete Valley bit his lip, darting his eyes away while grinning fondly. "Yeah, that's because you don't fit in it anymore. So many signals..."

Jensen acted offended, parting his lips with a dramatic expression. "Oh, stabbed by my own flesh..." He winced. "Can't believe it."

Suddenly Aaron slumped next to Pete in a drastic way, practically jumping onto the couch. "Yo, my lovely Pete." He said, starting to grab the redhead's cheeks with tenderness. "Wat'chu talking about?"

"I... Man... My face!" Pete complained, pulling his hands softly away. Aaron finally let them be, yawning loudly before stretching over the couch. His hands were placed behind his neck, while his legs spread in whatever way. "Jensen was just telling us we're his reason to open a book every Monday morning."

Close to them, a bunch of drunk guys were holding a lighter up, turning it on before bringing it closer to their friend's butt. Then the friend _somehow_ managed to fart fire.

Mia winced, visibly disgusted. Liz groaned beside her, leaning against her soft clothes. Pete, Aaron and Jensen just turned around, widening their eyes about to say something. 

"Merry Christmaaaas!" Yelled Craig, dressed in his _Nike_ hoodie and cheap Christmas hat, hurrying over to the couch to jump on top of Aaron and Pete altogether. Then the two guys winced loudly below him. "My kids!"

Daniel came into view, followed by Harry. "Yo, Merry Christmas ma dudes." He exclaimed before joining Jensen.

"Merry Christmas, kids." Harry said with a fun tone, walking slowly in Daniel's direction, before slumping softly beside him.

"Merry Christmas." Said Liz.

"Merry Christmas." Answered Mia.

Jensen and Berry replied the same thing, followed by Chris. "Merry Christmas, guys. I heard you."

"Chrus! Cume and suvu mu." Pete voice groaned, muffled by Craig's body.

"Oh, damn, Pete!" Chris cried, running over to where the guy had slumped over the other two, soon received by Craig's warm smile from where he had leaned. His face was squashed against Aaron's back, red from laughing. "Oh, hi! Could you lend me Pete?"

Mia smiled fondly. She then witnessed how Craig pulled away from his two tired and breathless friends, before standing up to his feet. Then he exhaled, placing his two hands over his waist, looking over to Chris with a grin. "You're Chrissy, right?"

Daniel blushed visibly from his seat, where he covered his mouth.

"I-Its Chris, actually." He blushed, scratching their hair.

"Well, then, Chrissy." Craig continued, throwing an arm around the blonde boy's neck. The rest laughed. "After a proof ride with Daniel's friends, having had a try of life's vices and baddie night..." Pete nodded, pouting proud. "What do you think of your mate's new friends?" He asked with a happy smile.

Aaron, Harry, Pete, Craig, Jensen, Gwenyth and the rest observed with curious eyes towards the blonde haired boy, expecting his answer patiently.

Chris blushed, grimacing thoughtful. "Well... It definitely could've been worse."

A collective laughter formed around him, making him smile deliberately.

"Will you remember our names on school in January, Chrissy?" Craig asked with hope.

Chris furrowed his eyebrows, incredulous. "Are you serious? You guys _are_ the best dudes on the planet." He exclaimed. "I could even write a song about this party now."

Daniel smiled. The rest exploded in laughs.

"You better, Chrissy. The latest smash gotta be about us, yenno. Childhood friends and shit, dude, those things stay in your heart forever even if the years go by."

Liz clapped at his short speech, earning some approval exclaims.

"You are." Chris said with glitter in his eyes. "And I wish I'd done it sooner."

The classmates around him soon started clapping, stretching in their seats and standing up. They wished their friends goodnight and kissed cheeks and foreheads. Others melted into quick but soft hugs, and other couples shared intimate kisses. Pete Valley stood up, soon finding Mia in her seat. He swayed beside his friends until he reached the blonde-haired girl, sitting alone on the end of the couch, while Liz was busy smooching with Jensen.

"Hey, Mia." He pronounced, softly slumping over the awkward girl.

The Bailey one soon shifted at his presence, elevating her eyes very surprisedly. Then she hid her face, covering her chin with her hand. "Y-Yeah?"

The redhead boy soon felt a red patch cover his cheeks in a traitor way, chucking softly. "Well, I was thinking... I mean, the night's really cold and I doubt you can get the bus home at this time in the night... I don't want you to walk the streets alone now. I was thinking that maybe... You wanted me to give you a lift home? It's probably halfway towards mine." He asked very carefully.

Mia didn't reply. Her eyes widened, while her lips parted in a slightly shocked way. He... What? "Oh! I mean, I'm sorry. I spaced out."

"It's okay. Pretend I didn't say anything."

"Okay, do it." She confessed almost involuntarily.

"What?"

"Take me home." She blurted out.

"What?" Then he snapped back into reality. "Oh, fuck, yeah. Of course."

"Just that." Mia corrected herself.

"O-Of course, what else?" He stumbled a bit over his words, making Mia blush.

She nodded, covering her other arm, staring towards the ground now as Pete was doing, patiently. The boy started to tap his arm with his other fingers, making time while the girl decided to leave.

"You can go and speak to the others if you want, I can wait." He said, smiling softly. "Aaron probably wants something from us still."

Mia nodded, placing a soft strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, well, they'll eventually come over and say goodbye. I'm just waiting for them to be done with the rest.

But no one came around in the following minutes, and Mia just turned more nervous at the fact that Pete was there, next to her, after all that had happened.

It was a little breathtaking. _But totally not in a nice way_.

Then he slowly stared towards the girl, and deliberately stood up. "Shall we... go and tell our friends and leave?"

Mia elevated her look, a specific glimmer shining over them as she hugged her own arms, cold. Mia was sometimes so invisible in parties that she wondered if she'd get lost sometime. "Okay."

While her heart soon started beating out of rate and her breath hitched and her skin turned hot, Pete smiled and nodded, soon walking over to whisper something towards Liz.

 _Then she turned with a lunatic smile in Mia's direction_.


End file.
